RA 43.0486° · Dec 56.9353° · star
7 more points to reach Epic.
HD 17638 is a rare star. It lies about 2,836.1 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Per, shines at apparent magnitude 10.36 and has spectral type WC....
Its spectrum reads WC... — a Wolf-Rayet star: a stellar monster shedding its own outer layers in a ferocious wind, on its way to a supernova.
Look for HD 17638 in the constellation Per. At apparent magnitude 10.36, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 17638 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 17638 scores 43 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 7 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years) and Wolf-Rayet star (shedding itself) — 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.