RA 153.7819° · Dec 59.9855° · star
27 more points to reach Anomaly.
HR 4008 is an epic variable star. It lies about 2,131.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation UMa, shines at apparent magnitude 6.18 and has spectral type M0IIIvar.
Its spectrum reads M0IIIvar — an M-type red star — and M stars are the silent majority: roughly three of every four stars in the galaxy are one.
Look for HR 4008 in the constellation UMa. At apparent magnitude 6.18, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HR 4008 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.
HR 4008 scores 51 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 27 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 9 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Never sets (northern circumpolar), Cool red M-type star, Giant star, Deep red star, Intrinsically luminous (Mv < −2) and Gently variable — 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.