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Uncommon variable star 29 EP

HIP 61473

RA 188.9481° · Dec 9.0743° · star

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Score breakdown

· 6 badges
29 pts · Uncommon
Uncommon 34 pts → Rare
  • Sun-like G-type star +8
  • Distant (over 1,000 light-years) +6
  • Variable star +5
  • Gently variable +4
  • On the zodiac +3
  • A named variable star +3
Total score 29

5 more points to reach Rare.

Badges

  • Variable star · +5
  • Distant (over 1,000 light-years) · +6
  • On the zodiac · +3
  • Sun-like G-type star · +8
  • Gently variable · +4
  • A named variable star · +3

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Spectral class. Its spectrum reads G — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.
  • 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 10.4 you'll want a small backyard telescope, over in Virgo.
  • 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. Impossible with our current technology — and the next millennium of it.

Getting there

  • Aboard Voyager 1. ≈ 36.3 million years at Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s).

Properties

absmag
1.383
bv
1.363
constellation
Vir
dist ly
2064.2785
luminosity
24.3669
mag
10.39
name
HIP 61473
spect
G
var amplitude
0.31
var designation
CK
var max
10.222
var min
10.532

About HIP 61473

HIP 61473 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 2,064.3 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Vir, shines at apparent magnitude 10.39 and has spectral type G.

Its spectrum reads G — a G-type star: the very same spectral class as our own Sun.

How to see it

Look for HIP 61473 in the constellation Vir. At apparent magnitude 10.39, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.

Like any astronomical target, HIP 61473 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 HIP 61473 is an uncommon variable star

HIP 61473 scores 29 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 5 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 6 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), On the zodiac, Sun-like G-type star, 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.