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Pictor has attracted attention because of its second-brightest star Beta Pictoris, 63.4 light-years distant from Earth, which is surrounded by an unusual dust disk rich in carbon, as well as an exoplanet (extrasolar planet). Another five stars in the constellation have been found to have planets. Among them is HD 40307, an orange dwarf that has six planets orbiting it, one of which—HD 40307 g—is a potential super-Earth in the circumstellar habitable zone. Kapteyn's Star, the nearest star in Pictor to Earth, is a red dwarf located 12.76 light-years away that was found to have two super-Earths in orbit in 2014.Pictor A is a radio galaxy that is shooting an 800,000 light-year long jet of plasma from a supermassive black hole at its centre. In 2006, a gamma ray burst—GRB 060729—was observed in Pictor, its extremely long X-ray afterglow detectable for nearly two years afterwards. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictor Pictor]</ref> | Pictor has attracted attention because of its second-brightest star Beta Pictoris, 63.4 light-years distant from Earth, which is surrounded by an unusual dust disk rich in carbon, as well as an exoplanet (extrasolar planet). Another five stars in the constellation have been found to have planets. Among them is HD 40307, an orange dwarf that has six planets orbiting it, one of which—HD 40307 g—is a potential super-Earth in the circumstellar habitable zone. Kapteyn's Star, the nearest star in Pictor to Earth, is a red dwarf located 12.76 light-years away that was found to have two super-Earths in orbit in 2014.Pictor A is a radio galaxy that is shooting an 800,000 light-year long jet of plasma from a supermassive black hole at its centre. In 2006, a gamma ray burst—GRB 060729—was observed in Pictor, its extremely long X-ray afterglow detectable for nearly two years afterwards. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictor Pictor]</ref> | ||
Pictor is a small constellation bordered by Columba to the north, Puppis and Carina to the east, Caelum to the northwest, Dorado to the southwest and [[Volans]] to the south. | Pictor is a small constellation bordered by Columba to the north, Puppis and Carina to the east, Caelum to the northwest, Dorado to the southwest and [[Volans]] to the south. | ||
==Etymology== | |||
Equuleus Pictoris, is the name of this constellation 'The Painter's Easel': Easel is an old Germanic synonym for donkey and is borrowed from Dutch ezel, which means literally 'ass' (donkey). An easel (generally a tripod) is an upright frame for displaying or supporting something such as an artist's canvas, or a school blackboard. The comparison being of loading a painting on to a stand much as a burden is loaded on to an ass. The wordass is related to Greek onos, ass, probably ultimately from the same source as Sumerian anse, ass. The wordass is related to: asinine, easel, (these words from Latin asinus, ass), onager (onos, ass + agrios, wild, from Greek onus, ass). <ref>[http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Pictor.htm Constellations of Words]</ref> | |||