Pictor Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere

PICTOR CONSTELLATION – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the southern constellation Pictor , the Painter.

It is the constellation in the southern sky. It means the “painter,”in Latin and represents the painter’s easel.

The easel is introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1756. He named it ‘le Chevalet et la Palette‘ which means “the easel and palette.” It was also named Equuleus Pictoris, which is Latin for “the painter’s easel,”

The name was shortened to Pictor in 1845 by the English astronomer Francis Baily under the suggestion of the English astronomer and mathematician John Herschel.

It houses the Blue Compact Dwarf galaxy , the double lobed radio galaxy Pictor A, the massive galaxy cluster SPT-CL J0546-5345.

It is the 59th largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of about 247 square degrees. It lies in SQ1, the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere.

Pictor belongs to the Lacaille family, along with Antlia, Caelum, Circinus, Fornax, Horologium, Mensa, Microscopium, Norma, Octans, Reticulum, Sculptor, and Telescopium.

Stars

Among the stars include: