RA 341.2609° · Dec 68.1329° · star
7 more points to reach Rare.
HD 215661 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 429.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cep, shines at apparent magnitude 8.63 and has spectral type A2p.
Its spectrum reads A2p — an A-type star: white-hot, typically about twice the Sun's mass, and the class most of the sky's famous bright stars belong to.
Look for HD 215661 in the constellation Cep. At apparent magnitude 8.63, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 215661 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 215661 scores 27 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 7 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Variable star, Never sets (northern circumpolar), White A-type star, Strongly 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.