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Common star 16 EP

HD 218304

RA 346.7467° · Dec -12.7304° · star

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Score breakdown

· 4 badges
16 pts · Common
Common 22 pts → Uncommon
  • Sun-like G-type star +8
  • Star +3
  • On the zodiac +3
  • Main-sequence star +2
Total score 16

6 more points to reach Uncommon.

Badges

  • Star · +3
  • On the zodiac · +3
  • Sun-like G-type star · +8
  • Main-sequence star · +2

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads G1V — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.
  • Where it is in life. It is on the main sequence, quietly fusing hydrogen in its core exactly as the Sun does.

Sense of scale

  • In perspective. Far away by human standards, yet still a local address inside the Milky Way's spiral arms.

Find it in the sky

  • How to spot it. At magnitude 8.3 it is just past naked-eye reach — ordinary binoculars will pull it in, over in Aquarius.
  • Southern sky. It rides the southern half of the sky — an easier target the further south you are.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around September — 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. ≈ 3.3 million years at Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s).

Properties

absmag
4.5
bv
0.586
constellation
Aqr
dist ly
186.8019
luminosity
1.3804
mag
8.29
name
HD 218304
spect
G1V

About HD 218304

HD 218304 is a common star. It lies about 186.8 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aqr, shines at apparent magnitude 8.29 and has spectral type G1V.

Its spectrum reads G1V — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.

How to see it

Look for HD 218304 in the constellation Aqr. At apparent magnitude 8.29, it is an easy target for binoculars.

Like any astronomical target, HD 218304 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 HD 218304 is a common star

HD 218304 scores 16 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 6 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 4 science badges — Star, On the zodiac, Sun-like G-type star and Main-sequence 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.