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Uncommon variable star 28 EP

HD 244138

RA 82.2850° · Dec 11.8702° · star

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Score breakdown

· 6 badges
28 pts · Uncommon
Uncommon 34 pts → Rare
  • Sun-like G-type star +8
  • In Orion's hunting ground +6
  • Variable star +5
  • Gently variable +4
  • A named variable star +3
  • Main-sequence star +2
Total score 28

6 more points to reach Rare.

Badges

  • Variable star · +5
  • In Orion's hunting ground · +6
  • Sun-like G-type star · +8
  • Main-sequence star · +2
  • Gently variable · +4
  • A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads G5.8Ve... — 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.
  • 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. 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 9.8 you'll want a small backyard telescope, over in Orion.
  • Northern sky. It rides the northern half of the sky — an easier target the further north you are.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around December — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Hopelessly far for any craft humanity can build today.

Properties

absmag
2.656
bv
0.97
constellation
Ori
dist ly
896.033
luminosity
7.544
mag
9.85
name
HD 244138
spect
G5.8Ve...
var amplitude
0.16
var designation
GW
var max
9.75
var min
9.91

About HD 244138

HD 244138 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 896 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Ori, shines at apparent magnitude 9.85 and has spectral type G5.8Ve....

Its spectrum reads G5.8Ve... — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.

How to see it

Look for HD 244138 in the constellation Ori. At apparent magnitude 9.85, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.

Like any astronomical target, HD 244138 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 244138 is an uncommon variable star

HD 244138 scores 28 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 6 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 6 science badges — Variable star, In Orion's hunting ground, Sun-like G-type star, Main-sequence star, Gently variable 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.