RA 187.7914° · Dec -57.1132° · star
4 more points to reach Epic.
Gacrux is a rare star. It lies about 88.6 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cru, shines at apparent magnitude 1.59 and has spectral type M4III.
Its spectrum reads M4III — 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 Gacrux in the constellation Cru. At apparent magnitude 1.59, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.
Like any astronomical target, Gacrux 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.
Gacrux scores 46 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 4 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Star, Naked-eye visible, Has a proper name, Under the Southern Cross, Cool red M-type star, Giant star and Deep red 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.