Common variable star 21 EP

80 Leo

RA 171.4586° · Dec 3.8601° · star

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Score breakdown

· 6 badges

21 pts · Common

Common 22 pts → Uncommon

Variable star +5
Subgiant (leaving the main sequence) +5
On the zodiac +3
Yellow-white F-type star +3
A named variable star +3
Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) +2

Total score 21

1 more point to reach Uncommon.

Badges

Variable star · +5
On the zodiac · +3
Yellow-white F-type star · +3
Subgiant (leaving the main sequence) · +5
Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) · +2
A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What it actually is

Spectral class. Its spectrum reads F3IV — an F-type star — a little hotter, whiter and shorter-lived than the Sun.
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 6.3 it is just past naked-eye reach — ordinary binoculars will pull it in, over in Leo.
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 March — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

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

Properties

absmag: 2.612
bv: 0.345
constellation: Leo
dist ly: 182.4138
luminosity: 7.856
mag: 6.35
name: 80 Leo
spect: F3IV
var amplitude: 0.03
var designation: KV
var max: 6.334
var min: 6.364

Nearby objects

About 80 Leo

80 Leo is a common variable star. It lies about 182.4 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Leo, shines at apparent magnitude 6.35 and has spectral type F3IV.

Its spectrum reads F3IV — an F-type star — a little hotter, whiter and shorter-lived than the Sun.

How to see it

Look for 80 Leo in the constellation Leo. At apparent magnitude 6.35, it is an easy target for binoculars.

Like any astronomical target, 80 Leo 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 80 Leo is a common variable star

80 Leo scores 21 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 1 point would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 6 science badges — Variable star, On the zodiac, Yellow-white F-type star, Subgiant (leaving the main sequence), Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) 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.