RA 233.6422° · Dec -65.1031° · star
9 more points to reach Rare.
HD 138242 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 2,218.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation TrA, shines at apparent magnitude 8.59 and has spectral type A4V.
Its spectrum reads A4V — an A-type star: white-hot, typically about twice the Sun's mass, and the class most of the sky's famous bright stars belong to.
Look for HD 138242 in the constellation TrA. At apparent magnitude 8.59, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 138242 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
HD 138242 scores 25 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 9 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 6 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), White A-type star, Main-sequence star, Gently variable and A named variable star — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.