RA 176.0843° · Dec 38.5276° · star
11 more points to reach Epic.
HD 101978 is a rare star. It lies about 3,197.6 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation UMa, shines at apparent magnitude 7.86 and has spectral type K2IV.
Its spectrum reads K2IV — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
Look for HD 101978 in the constellation UMa. At apparent magnitude 7.86, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 101978 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 101978 scores 39 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 11 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Never sets (northern circumpolar), Orange K-type star, Subgiant (leaving the main sequence), Deep red star and Intrinsically luminous (Mv < −2) — 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.