RA 299.5903° · Dec 35.2016° · star
28 more points to reach Anomaly.
Cygnus X-1 is an epic variable star. It lies about 1,941.4 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cyg, shines at apparent magnitude 8.84 and has spectral type B0Ib.
Its spectrum reads B0Ib — 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 Cygnus X-1 in the constellation Cyg. At apparent magnitude 8.84, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, Cygnus X-1 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.
Cygnus X-1 scores 50 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 28 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Has a proper name, Hot blue B-type star, Supergiant, 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.