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R Doradus

R Doradus
R Doradus ESO.jpg
Infrared interferometric image of the star
Credit: ESO
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Dorado
Right ascension 04h 36m 45.59127s
Declination −62° 04′ 37.7974″
Apparent magnitude (V) 4.8–6.6
5.40
Characteristics
Spectral type M8IIIe
Apparent magnitude (J) −2.6
Apparent magnitude (K) −4.2
U−B color index +0.86
B−V color index +1.58
Variable type Mira variable
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv) +26.1 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −69.36 mas/yr
Dec.: −75.78 mas/yr
Parallax (π) 18.31 ± 0.99mas
Distance 178 ± 10 ly
(55 ± 3 pc)
Details
Mass 1.2 M
Radius 370 ± 50 R
Luminosity 6,500 ± 1400 L
Temperature 2,740 ± 190 K
Rotation 340 days
Other designations
P Dor, R Dor, AAVSO 0435-62, CCDM J04368-6205A CD−62°175, CPC 20.1 1002, CPD−62°372, GCRV 2726, GSC 08880-01071, HD 29712, HIC 21479, HIP 21479, HR 1492, 2MASS J04364544-6204379, PPM 354226, SAO 249066, WDS J04368-6205A
Database references
SIMBAD data

R Doradus (HD 29712 or P Doradus) is the name of a red giant Mira variable star in the far-southern constellation Dorado, although visually it appears more closely associated with the constellation Reticulum. Its distance from Earth is 178 ± 10 light-years (54.6 ± 3.1 parsecs). Having a uniform disk diameter of 0.057 ± 0.005 arcsec, it is currently believed to be the extrasolar star with the largest apparent size as viewed from Earth. The estimated diameter of R Doradus is 515 ± 70 million km (3.46 AU) or 370 ± 50 times the diameter of the Sun. If placed at the centre of the Solar System, the orbit of Mars and most of the main asteroid belt would be contained within the star.

The visible magnitude of R Doradus varies between 4.8 and 6.6, which makes it usually just visible to the naked eye, but in the infrared it is one of the brightest stars in the sky and its bolometric luminosity is 6500 ± 1400 times that of the Sun. With a near-infrared J band magnitude of −2.6, only Betelgeuse at −2.9 is brighter.


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Wikipedia

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