RA 269.8061° · Dec -36.9388° · star
16 more points to reach Epic.
HD 163708 is a rare variable star. It lies about 400.2 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Sgr, shines at apparent magnitude 6.92 and has spectral type A3III.
Its spectrum reads A3III — 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 163708 in the constellation Sgr. At apparent magnitude 6.92, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 163708 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 163708 scores 34 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 16 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Variable star, Toward the galactic centre, On the zodiac, White A-type star, Giant 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.