RA 343.2974° · Dec 40.1674° · star
7 more points to reach Rare.
HR 8706 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 994.4 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Lac, shines at apparent magnitude 6.33 and has spectral type B7III-IV.
Its spectrum reads B7III-IV — a blue-white B-type star, with a surface tens of thousands of degrees hot and a life measured in tens of millions of years.
Look for HR 8706 in the constellation Lac. At apparent magnitude 6.33, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HR 8706 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.
HR 8706 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 6 science badges — Variable star, Hot blue B-type star, Giant star, Blue-white star, Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) 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.