Dorado, the Swordfish (Dor)
(duh-RAH-doe)
The Southern constellation of Dorado, the Swordfish, is best viewed in Winter during the month of January. It's brightest star is Alpha Doradus at magnitude 3.27. The boundary of the Dorado constellation contains 5 stars that host known exoplanets.
Red hypergiant WOH G64 is the 2nd largest known star in the universe at 1,600 times the size of the Sun.
- Pronunciation:
- duh-RAH-doe
- Meaning:
- Swordfish
- Genitive:
- Doradus
- Abbreviation:
- Dor
- Constellation Family:
- Bayer
- Hemisphere:
- Southern
- Quadrant:
- SQ1
- Best viewing month*:
- January
- Right Ascension (avg):
- 5h 20m
- Declination (avg):
- -63° 1'
- Brightest star:
- Alpha Doradus (3.27)
- Stars with planets:
- 5
- X-ray stars:
- 14 (7 binaries) stars
- Messier catalog objects:
- |
Brightest Stars in Dorado
The 10 brightest stars in the constellation Dorado by magnitude.
- Star
- Magnitude
- Spectral class
- Alpha Doradus (α Dor)
- 3.3
- A0IIIp (Si)
- Beta Doradus (β Dor)
- 3.76
- F4-G4Ia-II
- Gamma Doradus (γ Dor)
- 4.26
- F0V-F5V
- Delta Doradus (δ Dor)
- 4.34
- A7V
- HD 40409
- 4.65
- K1III/IV
- Zeta Doradus (ζ Dor)
- 4.71
- F7V
- Theta Doradus (θ Dor)
- 4.81
- K2III
- Eta Doradus (η2 Dor)
- 5.01
- M2.5III
- Nu Doradus (ν Dor)
- 5.06
- B8V
- Epsilon Doradus (ε Dor)
- 5.1
- B6V
Star Clusters in Dorado
The most notable and easy-to-find star clusters in the constellation Dorado . Also see all star clusters.
Nebulae in Dorado
Notable and easy-to-find nebulae in the constellation Dorado. Also see all nebulae.
- Nebula name
- Catalog #
- Nebula type
- Bean Nebula
- emission
- Dragon's Head Nebula
- emission
- Ghost Head Nebula
- emission
- Tarantula Nebula
- C103
- emission
Galaxies in Dorado
The most notable, famous, and easy-to-find galaxies in the constellation Dorado. Also see all galaxies.
Milky Way Satellites in Dorado
Dwarf satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way Galaxy located in the constellation Dorado. Also see all Milky Way satellite galaxies.
- Galaxy name
- Alt name
- Magnitude
- Large Magellanic Cloud
- 0.9
Neutron Stars in Dorado
These are the most well-known neutron stars in the constellation Dorado. Although neutron stars cannot be seen in any amateur telescope, they are at the center of many supernova remnant nebulae, which can be seen. Also see all neutron stars.
* Constellation shown for northen hemisphere skies. For the southern hemisphere, constellations appear rotated 180 degrees (upside-down and left-right reversed) from what is shown. Remember that seasons are reversed too - summer in northern latitudes is winter in southern latitudes.
** Circumpolar constellations are visible year-round in the hemisphere listed (and not at all in the opposite hemisphere).