Rare variable star 43 EP

Ran

RA 53.2327° · Dec -9.4583° · star

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Score breakdown

· 8 badges

43 pts · Rare

Rare 50 pts → Epic

Nearby (<25 ly) +12
Naked-eye visible +8
Has a proper name +8
Variable star +5
Orange K-type star +3
A named variable star +3
Main-sequence star +2
Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) +2

Total score 43

7 more points to reach Epic.

Badges

Variable star · +5
Nearby (<25 ly) · +12
Naked-eye visible · +8
Has a proper name · +8
Orange K-type star · +3
Main-sequence star · +2
Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) · +2
A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What it actually is

Spectral class. Its spectrum reads K2V — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
Where it is in life. It is on the main sequence, quietly fusing hydrogen in its core exactly as the Sun does.
It changes. This star does not hold still: its brightness rises and falls on a rhythm of hours, days or years, either pulsing in size or being eclipsed by a companion.

Sense of scale

In perspective. Inside our stellar backyard: every radio broadcast humanity has ever made has already swept past it.

Find it in the sky

How to spot it. At magnitude 3.7 you can see it with your own eyes from a dark site, over in Eridanus.
Seen from everywhere. It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from essentially anywhere on Earth.
Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around November — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

Verdict. A multi-generation starship could one day attempt the crossing.

Properties

absmag: 6.183
bv: 0.881
constellation: Eri
dist ly: 10.4895
luminosity: 0.293
mag: 3.72
name: Ran
named: yes
spect: K2V
var amplitude: 0.02
var designation: Eps
var max: 3.715
var min: 3.735

Nearby objects

About Ran

Ran is a rare variable star. It lies about 10.5 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Eri, shines at apparent magnitude 3.72 and has spectral type K2V.

Its spectrum reads K2V — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.

How to see it

Look for Ran in the constellation Eri. At apparent magnitude 3.72, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.

Like any astronomical target, Ran 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 Ran is a rare variable star

Ran 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 8 science badges — Variable star, Nearby (<25 ly), Naked-eye visible, Has a proper name, Orange K-type star, Main-sequence 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.