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Rare star 36 EP

GL GJ 2043A

RA 82.3626° · Dec 15.5773° · star

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Score breakdown

· 7 badges
36 pts · Rare
Rare 50 pts → Epic
  • Deep red star +8
  • Binary star +6
  • In Orion's hunting ground +6
  • Red dwarf +6
  • Cool red M-type star +5
  • Star +3
  • Main-sequence star +2
Total score 36

14 more points to reach Epic.

Badges

  • Star · +3
  • Binary star · +6
  • In Orion's hunting ground · +6
  • Cool red M-type star · +5
  • Main-sequence star · +2
  • Deep red star · +8
  • Red dwarf · +6

Trivia

What makes it special

  • Not one star but two. It is a binary: two stars orbiting a shared centre of mass. More than half of all the 'stars' you can see are actually multiple systems.

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads M2V: — an M-type red star — and M stars are the silent majority: roughly three of every four stars in the galaxy are one.
  • Where it is in life. It is on the main sequence, quietly fusing hydrogen in its core exactly as the Sun does.

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 10.6 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
9.365
binary
yes
bv
1.5
constellation
Ori
dist ly
56.2825
luminosity
0.0156
mag
10.55
name
GL GJ 2043A
spect
M2V:

About GL GJ 2043A

GL GJ 2043A is a rare star. It lies about 56.3 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Ori, shines at apparent magnitude 10.55 and has spectral type M2V:.

It is a binary: two stars orbiting a shared centre of mass. More than half of all the 'stars' you can see are actually multiple systems.

How to see it

Look for GL GJ 2043A in the constellation Ori. At apparent magnitude 10.55, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.

Like any astronomical target, GL GJ 2043A 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 GL GJ 2043A is a rare star

GL GJ 2043A scores 36 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 14 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 7 science badges — Star, Binary star, In Orion's hunting ground, Cool red M-type star, Main-sequence star, Deep red star and Red dwarf — 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.