RA 281.7329° · Dec -29.9600° · star
1 more point to reach Epic.
HD 173502 is a rare star. It lies about 2,489.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Sgr, shines at apparent magnitude 9.73 and has spectral type B1/B2Ib.
Its spectrum reads B1/B2Ib — 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 173502 in the constellation Sgr. At apparent magnitude 9.73, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 173502 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 173502 scores 49 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 1 point would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Toward the galactic centre, On the zodiac, Hot blue B-type star, Supergiant 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.