RA 271.9873° · Dec -19.3991° · star
2 more points to reach Epic.
HD 165688 is a rare star. It lies about 840.6 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Sgr, shines at apparent magnitude 9.84 and has spectral type WN....
Its spectrum reads WN... — a Wolf-Rayet star: a stellar monster shedding its own outer layers in a ferocious wind, on its way to a supernova.
Look for HD 165688 in the constellation Sgr. At apparent magnitude 9.84, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 165688 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 165688 scores 48 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 2 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Star, Toward the galactic centre, On the zodiac and Wolf-Rayet star (shedding itself) — 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.