RA 172.8127° · Dec -61.2785° · star
15 more points to reach Epic.
HR 4438 is a rare variable star. It sits in the constellation Cen, shines at apparent magnitude 6.28 and has spectral type A3Iae.
Its spectrum reads A3Iae — 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 HR 4438 in the constellation Cen. At apparent magnitude 6.28, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HR 4438 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 4438 scores 35 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 15 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Variable star, White A-type star, Supergiant, 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.