RA 278.2921° · Dec -18.3684° · star
15 more points to reach Anomaly.
HD 171012 is an epic variable star. It lies about 2,609.2 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Sgr, shines at apparent magnitude 6.79 and has spectral type B0Ia/ab.
Its spectrum reads B0Ia/ab — a blue-white B-type star, with a surface tens of thousands of degrees hot and a life measured in tens of millions of years.
Look for HD 171012 in the constellation Sgr. At apparent magnitude 6.79, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 171012 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 171012 scores 63 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 15 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 9 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Toward the galactic centre, On the zodiac, Hot blue B-type star, Supergiant, Intrinsically luminous (Mv < −2) and Gently variable — 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.