RA 273.1565° · Dec -28.2363° · star
14 more points to reach Epic.
HD 166612 is a rare variable star. It lies about 1,152.5 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Sgr, shines at apparent magnitude 7.37 and has spectral type A2/3V +A9/F0.
Its spectrum reads A2/3V +A9/F0 — 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 166612 in the constellation Sgr. At apparent magnitude 7.37, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 166612 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 166612 scores 36 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 14 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 8 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Toward the galactic centre, On the zodiac, 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.