RA 310.3398° · Dec 52.5875° · star
4 more points to reach Epic.
HD 197406 is a rare variable star. It sits in the constellation Cyg, shines at apparent magnitude 10.31 and has spectral type WNs....
Its spectrum reads WNs... — a Wolf-Rayet star: a stellar monster shedding its own outer layers in a ferocious wind, on its way to a supernova.
Look for HD 197406 in the constellation Cyg. At apparent magnitude 10.31, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 197406 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 197406 scores 46 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 4 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Variable star, Wolf-Rayet star (shedding itself), 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.