RA 288.4279° · Dec 2.2937° · star
9 more points to reach Epic.
21 Aql is a rare variable star. It lies about 710.6 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aql, shines at apparent magnitude 5.14 and has spectral type B8II-III.
Its spectrum reads B8II-III — 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 21 Aql in the constellation Aql. At apparent magnitude 5.14, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.
Like any astronomical target, 21 Aql 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.
21 Aql scores 41 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 9 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Variable star, Naked-eye visible, Hot blue B-type star, Bright giant, Blue-white star, Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) 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.