RA 345.0377° · Dec 59.6199° · star
3 more points to reach Rare.
HD 217490 is an uncommon star. It sits in the constellation Cas, shines at apparent magnitude 8.72 and has spectral type B0.5Ia.
Its spectrum reads B0.5Ia — 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 HD 217490 in the constellation Cas. At apparent magnitude 8.72, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 217490 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 217490 scores 31 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 3 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Star, Never sets (northern circumpolar), Hot blue B-type star and Supergiant — 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.