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Common star 16 EP

HD 138722

RA 233.6998° · Dec -28.1308° · star

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Score breakdown

· 4 badges
16 pts · Common
Common 22 pts → Uncommon
  • Sun-like G-type star +8
  • Star +3
  • On the zodiac +3
  • Main-sequence star +2
Total score 16

6 more points to reach Uncommon.

Badges

  • Star · +3
  • On the zodiac · +3
  • Sun-like G-type star · +8
  • Main-sequence star · +2

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads G8V — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.
  • Where it is in life. It is on the main sequence, quietly fusing hydrogen in its core exactly as the Sun does.

Sense of scale

  • In perspective. Far away by human standards, yet still a local address inside the Milky Way's spiral arms.

Find it in the sky

  • How to spot it. At magnitude 8.9 it is just past naked-eye reach — ordinary binoculars will pull it in, over in Libra.
  • Southern sky. It rides the southern half of the sky — an easier target the further south you are.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around May — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Hopelessly far for any craft humanity can build today.

Getting there

  • Aboard Voyager 1. ≈ 3.3 million years at Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s).

Properties

absmag
5.126
bv
0.7
constellation
Lib
dist ly
187.1232
luminosity
0.7755
mag
8.92
name
HD 138722
spect
G8V

About HD 138722

HD 138722 is a common star. It lies about 187.1 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Lib, shines at apparent magnitude 8.92 and has spectral type G8V.

Its spectrum reads G8V — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.

How to see it

Look for HD 138722 in the constellation Lib. At apparent magnitude 8.92, it is an easy target for binoculars.

Like any astronomical target, HD 138722 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.

Why HD 138722 is a common star

HD 138722 scores 16 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 6 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 4 science badges — Star, On the zodiac, Sun-like G-type star and Main-sequence 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.