RA 349.8491° · Dec 62.7398° · star
17 more points to reach Anomaly.
HD 219978 is an epic variable star. It lies about 1,964.8 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cas, shines at apparent magnitude 6.66 and has spectral type K5Ibvar.
Its spectrum reads K5Ibvar — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
Look for HD 219978 in the constellation Cas. At apparent magnitude 6.66, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 219978 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 219978 scores 61 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 17 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 9 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Never sets (northern circumpolar), Orange K-type star, Supergiant, Deep red star, Intrinsically luminous (Mv < −2) and Gently variable — 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.