RA 82.0258° · Dec 40.3536° · star
3 more points to reach Common.
HD 278240 is a trash star. It lies about 1,863.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aur, shines at apparent magnitude 8.81 and has spectral type K2.
Its spectrum reads K2 — 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 278240 in the constellation Aur. At apparent magnitude 8.81, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 278240 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 278240 scores 12 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the trash tier. Another 3 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years) and Orange K-type 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.