α Doradus (alpha Doradus)

α Doradus is a variable and multiple hypergiant star in the constellation of Dorado.

α Doradus visual magnitude is 3.27. Because of its moderate brightness, α Doradus should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about α Doradus:

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of α Doradus

α Doradus is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern emisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of α Doradus are provided in the following table:

The simplified sky map below shows the position of α Doradus in the sky:

Visibility of α Doradus from your location

α Doradus (alpha Doradus) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Digitized Sky Survey image of α Doradus

The image below is a photograph of α Doradus from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of α Doradus is 0.051 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.003 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of α Doradus from the Sun and relative movement

α Doradus is distant 175.65 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 26 kilometers per second.

Spectral properties of α Doradus

α Doradus belongs to spectral class A0 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a hypergiant star.

The red dot in the diagram below shows where α Doradus is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

α Doradus star system properties

α Doradus is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the α Doradus double sysyem:

Alternative designations of α Doradus