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Uncommon variable star 33 EP

HD 179613

RA 288.6104° · Dec -29.2738° · star

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Score breakdown

· 7 badges
33 pts · Uncommon
Uncommon 34 pts → Rare
  • Toward the galactic centre +8
  • Sun-like G-type star +8
  • Variable star +5
  • Gently variable +4
  • On the zodiac +3
  • A named variable star +3
  • Main-sequence star +2
Total score 33

1 more point to reach Rare.

Badges

  • Variable star · +5
  • Toward the galactic centre · +8
  • On the zodiac · +3
  • Sun-like G-type star · +8
  • Main-sequence star · +2
  • Gently variable · +4
  • A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads G5V — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.
  • Where it is in life. It is on the main sequence, quietly fusing hydrogen in its core exactly as the Sun does.
  • It changes. This star does not hold still: its brightness rises and falls on a rhythm of hours, days or years, either pulsing in size or being eclipsed by a companion.

Sense of scale

  • In perspective. Far away by human standards, yet still a local address inside the Milky Way's spiral arms.

Find it in the sky

  • How to spot it. At magnitude 8.4 it is just past naked-eye reach — ordinary binoculars will pull it in, over in Sagittarius.
  • Southern sky. It rides the southern half of the sky — an easier target the further south you are.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around July — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Hopelessly far for any craft humanity can build today.

Properties

absmag
2.256
bv
1.1
constellation
Sgr
dist ly
547.2415
luminosity
10.9044
mag
8.38
name
HD 179613
spect
G5V
var amplitude
0.26
var designation
V4411
var max
8.351
var min
8.611

About HD 179613

HD 179613 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 547.2 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Sgr, shines at apparent magnitude 8.38 and has spectral type G5V.

Its spectrum reads G5V — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.

How to see it

Look for HD 179613 in the constellation Sgr. At apparent magnitude 8.38, it is an easy target for binoculars.

Like any astronomical target, HD 179613 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.

Why HD 179613 is an uncommon variable star

HD 179613 scores 33 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 1 point would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 7 science badges — Variable star, Toward the galactic centre, On the zodiac, Sun-like G-type star, Main-sequence 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.