Star profile
Kappa Dorado
What is Kappa Dorado
In the Goldfish — the southern figure mapped by Dutch navigators — this A-type white star shines from 219 light-years away. The constellation became famous because its southern reaches host the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy that ranks among the most thoroughly studied extragalactic objects. This star, far closer to us, marks a discreet vertex of the fish's body with its white, youthful light.
Where it is and when to see it
Kappa Dorado lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 64° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 30° N.
It ranks no. 13 in brightness among the 18 stars of Dorado in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpha Dorado, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 220 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Kappa Dorado
- Constellation
- Dorado
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.28
- Distance
- 218.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 71.088° · Dec -59.733°
- Catalogue
- HIP 22040 · HD 30478
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Other stars in Dorado
Dorado has 18 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Alpha Dorado3.30
- Beta Dorado3.76
- Gamma Dorado4.26
- Epsilon Dorado5.10
- Lambda Dorado5.14
- HIP 238405.19
- HIP 260015.34
- Pi 2 Dorado5.37