RA 278.5996° · Dec 51.1132° · star
4 more points to reach Rare.
HD 171871 is an uncommon star. It sits in the constellation Dra, shines at apparent magnitude 7.81 and has spectral type B2IIp.
Its spectrum reads B2IIp — 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 171871 in the constellation Dra. At apparent magnitude 7.81, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 171871 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 171871 scores 30 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 4 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Star, Never sets (northern circumpolar), Hot blue B-type star, Bright giant and Blue-white 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.