RA 278.7842° · Dec 0.0430° · star
10 more points to reach Rare.
HD 171491 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 2,508.9 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Ser, shines at apparent magnitude 7.94 and has spectral type B5.
Its spectrum reads B5 — 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 171491 in the constellation Ser. At apparent magnitude 7.94, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 171491 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 171491 scores 24 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 10 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Hot blue B-type 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.