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Uncommon variable star 26 EP

HIP 34003

RA 105.8262° · Dec -5.7376° · star

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Score breakdown

· 5 badges
26 pts · Uncommon
Uncommon 34 pts → Rare
  • Strongly variable +10
  • Variable star +5
  • Subgiant (leaving the main sequence) +5
  • Orange K-type star +3
  • A named variable star +3
Total score 26

8 more points to reach Rare.

Badges

  • Variable star · +5
  • Orange K-type star · +3
  • Subgiant (leaving the main sequence) · +5
  • Strongly variable · +10
  • A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads K0IV + G2 — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
  • Where it is in life. It is a subgiant, caught in the act of leaving the main sequence as the hydrogen in its core runs out.
  • 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 9.5 you'll want a small backyard telescope, over in Monoceros.
  • Seen from everywhere. It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from essentially anywhere on Earth.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around January — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

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

Properties

absmag
3.855
bv
0.814
constellation
Mon
dist ly
434.8746
luminosity
2.5003
mag
9.48
name
HIP 34003
spect
K0IV + G2
var amplitude
0.69
var designation
VV
var max
9.38
var min
10.07

About HIP 34003

HIP 34003 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 434.9 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Mon, shines at apparent magnitude 9.48 and has spectral type K0IV + G2.

Its spectrum reads K0IV + G2 — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.

How to see it

Look for HIP 34003 in the constellation Mon. At apparent magnitude 9.48, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.

Like any astronomical target, HIP 34003 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 HIP 34003 is an uncommon variable star

HIP 34003 scores 26 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 8 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 5 science badges — Variable star, Orange K-type star, Subgiant (leaving the main sequence), Strongly 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.