An A6 dwarf star of magnitude 3.9, lying 63 l.y. away. In 1983 the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) discovered that Beta Pictoris is surrounded by a disk of dust and gas larger than our Solar System, from which planets are forming. The disk contains at least one planet, which has been photographed orbiting the star at a distance of about 9 au. The planet is termed Beta Pictoris b and has an estimated mass seven times that of Jupiter.