RA 287.3230° · Dec 35.1850° · star
6 more points to reach Rare.
HD 178972 is an uncommon star. It lies about 2,416 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Lyr, shines at apparent magnitude 8.72 and has spectral type M....
Its spectrum reads M... — an M-type red star — and M stars are the silent majority: roughly three of every four stars in the galaxy are one.
Look for HD 178972 in the constellation Lyr. At apparent magnitude 8.72, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 178972 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 178972 scores 28 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 6 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Cool red M-type star, Deep red star and Red dwarf — 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.