Sculptor is supposed to depict the workshop of a sculptor. Its full name was L'Atelier du Sculpteur, invented by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. The constellation is found in the southern hemisphere, just to the south of Cetus. One object of some interest to the binocularist is the spiral galaxy NGC 253, northwest of alpha, one of the brightest galaxies despite its distance (about 9 million light years).
Alpha Sculptoris is the eastern-most tip of this simple asterism apparently representing an artist's easel. The 4.3 magnitude star is the brightest in the constellation, as well as one of the most distant at 675 light years. To find alpha Sculptoris drop due south of beta Ceti about twelve degrees (two FOVs) and slightly to the east. In the same field as alpha, to the northwest, is the bright spiral galaxy NGC 253. This 9th-mag galaxy, nine million light years away, is seen almost edge-on. While you can find the object with binoculars it takes a medium-sized telescope to pick out the spiral arms.
Gamma Sculptoris is the furtherest point west of this constellation's asterism. Gamma is a yellow giant nearly as bright as alpha (4.4) and a convenient way of entering Sculptor through the back door, since the star is in the same field as Fomalhaut.
S Sculptoris is a Mira-type long-period variable. It fluctuates from 5.5 to about 13 magnitude every 362.6 days. Thus once a year, roughly the same time of year (around the last week in October), it becomes barely naked-eye visible but easily seen in binoculars. To find the star first locate zeta Sculptoris, due west from alpha two binocular FOVs. S Sculptoris is to the southeast, in the same FOV.
