Dorado

Dorado, the celestial constellation named after the dolphinfish in Spanish, occupies a relatively small portion of the southern sky.

Stars

Despite its modest size, Dorado boasts several notable stars, among which Alpha Doradus shines as the brightest, earning it the moniker "Dorado Star." Additionally, Beta Doradus, a significant Cepheid variable star used in cosmic distance measurement, and Gamma Doradus, a remarkable variable star, contribute to the constellation's stellar allure.

Galaxies

Dorado is home to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The LMC, one of the closest galaxies to Earth, captivates astronomers and stargazers alike. Visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere, its proximity makes it an excellent subject for astronomical studies.

History

Dorado’s introduction to the astronomical world is credited to the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in the late 16th century, and it gained further recognition with its inclusion in Johannes Bayer's Uranometria atlas in 1603. Its name, derived from the dolphinfish, is somewhat misleading, as it is believed to reference the swordfish or dolphin instead.