Dorado
Dorado (US: /dəˈreɪdoʊ/, also UK: /-ˈrɑːdoʊ/) is a constellation in the Southern Sky. It was named in the late 16th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name refers to the mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), which is known as dorado ("golden") in Spanish, although it has also been depicted as a swordfish. Dorado contains most of the Large Magellanic Cloud, the remainder being in the constellation Mensa. The South Ecliptic pole also lies within this constellation.
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Dorado | |
| Abbreviation | Dor |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Doradus |
| Pronunciation | /dəˈreɪdoʊ/, genitive /dəˈreɪdəs/ |
| Symbolism | the dolphinfish |
| Right ascension | 5h |
| Declination | −65° |
| Quadrant | SQ1 |
| Area | 179 sq. deg. (72nd) |
| Main stars | 3 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 14 |
| Stars with planets | 5 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 1 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 0 |
| Brightest star | α Dor (3.27m) |
| Messier objects | 0 |
| Meteor showers | None |
| Bordering constellations | Caelum Horologium Reticulum Hydrus Mensa Volans Pictor |
| Visible at latitudes between +20° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January. | |
Even though the name Dorado is not Latin but Spanish, astronomers give it the Latin genitive form Doradus when naming its stars; it is treated (like the adjacent asterism Argo Navis) as a feminine proper name of Greek origin ending in -ō (like Io or Callisto or Argo), which have a genitive ending -ūs.