RA 330.7949° · Dec 18.8843° · star
7 more points to reach Uncommon.
HD 209458 is a common variable star. It lies about 161.9 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Peg, shines at apparent magnitude 7.65 and has spectral type F8.
Its spectrum reads F8 — an F-type star — a little hotter, whiter and shorter-lived than the Sun.
Look for HD 209458 in the constellation Peg. At apparent magnitude 7.65, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 209458 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 209458 scores 15 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 7 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Variable star, Yellow-white F-type star, 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.