White main-sequence star · Dorado
α Doradus
Also known as: α Dor, HIP 21281
mag 3.3170 light-years
About
α Doradus is a white main-sequence star of magnitude 3.3 in Dorado, about 170 light-years away.
How to find it
- α Doradus is in the constellation Dorado.
- Best evenings: around mid-January 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 25° 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
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- 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 | α Doradus (α Dor) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 21281 |
| Type | White main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | A0V: |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.08 |
| Magnitude | 3.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 170 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1860. |
| Proper motion | 0.059″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 04h 33m 59.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 02′ 42″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →