Pictor

Pictor is a faint southern constellation best known for Beta Pictoris, a young star with a prominent debris disk that was one of the first directly imaged. The Beta Pictoris system contains at least two confirmed exoplanets.

Location in the Sky

When to Observe

Pictor is best observed during January. It is located in the SQ1 quadrant and is primarily visible from the southern hemisphere. The constellation contains 3 main stars forming its asterism, with 15 Bayer/Flamsteed designated stars in total. Its brightest star is Alpha Pictoris.

Mythology & History

Pictor was introduced by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 1750s, originally as Equuleus Pictorius (the Painter's Easel). Like other Lacaille constellations, it honors tools of art and science rather than mythological figures.