RA 297.6958° · Dec 8.8683° · star
8 more points to reach Rare.
Altair is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 16.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aql, shines at apparent magnitude 0.76 and has spectral type A7IV-V.
Notable enough to have earned a proper name, not just a catalogue number.
Look for Altair in the constellation Aql. At apparent magnitude 0.76, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.
Like any astronomical target, Altair 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.
Altair scores 25 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 8 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Variable star, Nearby (<25 ly) and Has a proper name — 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.