R Doradus facts for kids

R Doradus is a very special star. It's a type of star called a red giant. Imagine a star that looks like one of the biggest in the night sky, right after our own Sun! R Doradus is incredibly huge, about 370 times bigger than the Sun. You can find this amazing star in the part of the sky known as the Dorado constellation.

What is R Doradus?

R Doradus is a type of star known as a red giant. These stars are very old and have used up most of the fuel in their core. Because of this, they expand outwards and become much larger and cooler, which makes them look red.

How Big is R Doradus?

R Doradus is one of the largest stars we can see from Earth in terms of its apparent size. This means it looks very big in the sky, even though it's far away. It's so big that if you put it where our Sun is, its outer layers would reach far beyond the orbit of Mars! It is about 370 times wider than our Sun.

Where Can You Find R Doradus?

You can find R Doradus in the Dorado constellation. A constellation is like a picture drawn in the sky by connecting stars. The Dorado constellation is named after the "swordfish" or "dolphin fish." It's mostly visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

Images for kids

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  This graph shows how the brightness of R Doradus changes over time. It's called a light curve.

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  A friendly robot!

See also

In Spanish: R Doradus para niños