Common variable star 21 EP

GL Gl 795A

RA 309.9071° · Dec 4.9720° · star

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Score breakdown

· 6 badges

21 pts · Common

Common 22 pts → Uncommon

Binary star +6
Variable star +5
Orange K-type star +3
A named variable star +3
Main-sequence star +2
Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) +2

Total score 21

1 more point to reach Uncommon.

Badges

Variable star · +5
Binary star · +6
Orange K-type star · +3
Main-sequence star · +2
Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) · +2
A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What makes it special

Not one star but two. It is a binary: two stars orbiting a shared centre of mass. More than half of all the 'stars' you can see are actually multiple systems.

What it actually is

Spectral class. Its spectrum reads K5V — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
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. Inside our stellar backyard: every radio broadcast humanity has ever made has already swept past it.

Find it in the sky

How to spot it. At magnitude 7.9 it is just past naked-eye reach — ordinary binoculars will pull it in, over in Delphinus.
Seen from everywhere. It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from essentially anywhere on Earth.
Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around July — that's when to go looking.

Properties

absmag: 6.764
binary: yes
bv: 1.241
constellation: Del
dist ly: 54.5411
luminosity: 0.1716
mag: 7.88
name: GL Gl 795A
spect: K5V
var amplitude: 0.05
var designation: OQ
var max: 7.859
var min: 7.909

Nearby objects

About GL Gl 795A

GL Gl 795A is a common variable star. It lies about 54.5 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Del, shines at apparent magnitude 7.88 and has spectral type K5V.

It is a binary: two stars orbiting a shared centre of mass. More than half of all the 'stars' you can see are actually multiple systems.

How to see it

Look for GL Gl 795A in the constellation Del. At apparent magnitude 7.88, it is an easy target for binoculars.

Like any astronomical target, GL Gl 795A 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 GL Gl 795A is a common variable star

GL Gl 795A scores 21 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 1 point would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 6 science badges — Variable star, Binary star, Orange K-type star, Main-sequence 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.