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Uncommon star 25 EP

GL Gl 849

RA 332.4181° · Dec -4.6407° · star

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Score breakdown

· 5 badges
25 pts · Uncommon
Uncommon 34 pts → Rare
  • Deep red star +8
  • Red dwarf +6
  • Cool red M-type star +5
  • Star +3
  • On the zodiac +3
Total score 25

9 more points to reach Rare.

Badges

  • Star · +3
  • On the zodiac · +3
  • Cool red M-type star · +5
  • Deep red star · +8
  • Red dwarf · +6

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads M3 — an M-type red star — and M stars are the silent majority: roughly three of every four stars in the galaxy are one.

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 10.4 you'll want a small backyard telescope, over in Aquarius.
  • 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 August — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Hopelessly far for any craft humanity can build today.

Getting there

  • Aboard Voyager 1. ≈ 521.3 thousand years at Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s).
  • Fastest probe ever. ≈ 46.3 thousand years even at the Parker Solar Probe's 192 km/s.

Properties

absmag
10.616
bv
1.531
constellation
Aqr
dist ly
29.6668
luminosity
0.0049
mag
10.41
name
GL Gl 849
spect
M3

About GL Gl 849

GL Gl 849 is an uncommon star. It lies about 29.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aqr, shines at apparent magnitude 10.41 and has spectral type M3.

Its spectrum reads M3 — an M-type red star — and M stars are the silent majority: roughly three of every four stars in the galaxy are one.

How to see it

Look for GL Gl 849 in the constellation Aqr. At apparent magnitude 10.41, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.

Like any astronomical target, GL Gl 849 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 849 is an uncommon star

GL Gl 849 scores 25 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 9 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 5 science badges — Star, On the zodiac, Cool red M-type star, Deep red star and Red dwarf — 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.