Red giant · Dorado
η² Doradus
Also known as: η² Dor, HIP 29353
mag 5.0640 light-years
About
η² Doradus is a red giant of magnitude 5.0 in Dorado, about 640 light-years away.
How to find it
- η² Doradus is in the constellation Dorado.
- Best evenings: around early February it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 14° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | η² Doradus (η² Dor) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 29353 |
| Type | Red giant |
| Spectral type | M2.5III |
| Colour | Orange-redB−V colour index 1.60 |
| Magnitude | 5.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 640 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1390. |
| Proper motion | 0.12″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 06h 11m 15.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −65° 35′ 22″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →