RA 98.2716° · Dec 10.3222° · star
4 more points to reach Uncommon.
HD 259431 is a common variable star. It lies about 564.3 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Mon, shines at apparent magnitude 8.71 and has spectral type B6pe.
Its spectrum reads B6pe — a blue-white B-type star, with a surface tens of thousands of degrees hot and a life measured in tens of millions of years.
Look for HD 259431 in the constellation Mon. At apparent magnitude 8.71, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 259431 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 259431 scores 18 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 4 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Variable star, Hot blue B-type 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.