RA 268.4270° · Dec 64.1157° · star
2 more points to reach Common.
HD 163838 is a trash star. It lies about 1,707.6 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Dra, shines at apparent magnitude 10.72 and has spectral type R....
Its spectrum reads R... — a carbon star, wrapped in so much soot that its light is filtered to a deep ruby red.
Look for HD 163838 in the constellation Dra. At apparent magnitude 10.72, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 163838 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 163838 scores 13 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the trash tier. Another 2 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years) and Never sets (northern circumpolar) — 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.