Alpha Pictoris
Scientific overview
Alpha Pictoris is a subgiant in the constellation Pictor (Pictoris), lying about 96.55 light-years from Earth.
Class A. White stars with strong hydrogen lines. Many of the brightest stars in the sky are class A. Such stars have surface temperatures around 7,500–10,000 K and appear white to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | A7IV |
| Luminosity class | IV |
| Apparent magnitude | 3.24 |
| Absolute magnitude | 0.88 |
| Luminosity (Sun = 1) | 38.619 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 0.225 |
| Distance | 96.55 ly (29.6 pc) |
Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.
Precision measurements
Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD
| Parallax | 33.78 ± 1.78 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (RA) | -66.07 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 243 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | 15.3 ± 1.3 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | A8VnkA6 | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 102 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -61.9414 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2006AstL...32..759G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 2006AJ....132..161G · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Evolution
A subgiant has begun to evolve off the main sequence, brightening and expanding as core hydrogen fusion ends.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationPictor
Related stars in Pictor
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus
Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
- HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission
High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.