RA 177.8041° · Dec -61.8462° · star
14 more points to reach Epic.
HD 102997 is a rare variable star. It sits in the constellation Cen, shines at apparent magnitude 6.51 and has spectral type B5Ia.
Its spectrum reads B5Ia — a blue-white B-type star, with a surface tens of thousands of degrees hot and a life measured in tens of millions of years.
Look for HD 102997 in the constellation Cen. At apparent magnitude 6.51, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 102997 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 102997 scores 36 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 14 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Variable star, Hot blue B-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.