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Proper NameNone
Bayer DesignationBeta Pictoris
Flamsteed NumberNone
HR (BSC)2020
HD39060
ConstellationPictor
Right Ascension5h 47m 17s
Declination-51° 3' 59"
Distance63 light years
19 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +3.9
Absolute: +2.4
Spectral ClassA5V White Main Sequence Star
Planets in this systemBeta Pictoris b, gas giant
Beta Pictoris c, gas giant
Optimum VisibilityDecember / January (Usually visible from southern latitudes)
NotesThis white star, lying westward of brilliant Canopus in the sky, is notable for its multiple belts and discs of matter suggesting the formation of a planetary system. At least one planet appears to have formed from this material already, a massive body designated Beta Pictoris b.

A hot white star in the constellation of Pictor, just over 60 light years from the Solar System. Recent observations suggest that Beta Pictoris possesses what appears to be a primitive planetary system, in the process of formation from a protoplanetary disc.

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