RA 310.2183° · Dec -28.5493° · star
3 more points to reach Common.
HD 196838 is a trash star. It lies about 924 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Mic, shines at apparent magnitude 6.69 and has spectral type K2III.
Its spectrum reads K2III — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
Look for HD 196838 in the constellation Mic. At apparent magnitude 6.69, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 196838 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 196838 scores 12 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the trash tier. Another 3 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star, Orange K-type star and Giant 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.