Constellation
Represents a dolphinfish, home to most of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
| Type | Constellation |
|---|---|
| Area of sky | 179 sq° |
| Brightest star | Alpha Doradus |
| Brightest star magnitude | mag 3.26 |
| Hemisphere | Southern |
| Zodiac constellation | No |
| Discovered | 1597 |
A constellation is a pattern drawn on the sky rather than a physical grouping: its stars are usually unrelated and sit at wildly different distances, just lined up as seen from Earth.
Dorado covers 179 square degrees of sky, which is 0.4 percent of the whole celestial sphere.
That makes it the 73rd largest of the 88 constellations the International Astronomical Union recognises.
It sits in the southern sky.
Its brightest star reaches magnitude 3.26, bright enough to pick out with the naked eye under a dark sky.
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