RA 289.3117° · Dec 1.0594° · star
14 more points to reach Epic.
HD 180642 is a rare variable star. It lies about 1,885.3 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aql, shines at apparent magnitude 8.28 and has spectral type B1.5II-III.
Its spectrum reads B1.5II-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 HD 180642 in the constellation Aql. At apparent magnitude 8.28, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 180642 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 180642 scores 36 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 14 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 6 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Hot blue B-type star, Bright giant, 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.