RA 100.4712° · Dec 26.3080° · star
5 more points to reach Uncommon.
HD 261960 is a common star. It lies about 1,016.1 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Gem, shines at apparent magnitude 9.53 and has spectral type A3.
Its spectrum reads A3 — an A-type star: white-hot, typically about twice the Sun's mass, and the class most of the sky's famous bright stars belong to.
Look for HD 261960 in the constellation Gem. At apparent magnitude 9.53, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 261960 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 261960 scores 17 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 5 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), On the zodiac and White A-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.