RA 198.6303° · Dec 11.3317° · star
10 more points to reach Epic.
HR 4998 is a rare variable star. It lies about 478.2 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Vir, shines at apparent magnitude 5.64 and has spectral type M0III.
Its spectrum reads M0III — 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 HR 4998 in the constellation Vir. At apparent magnitude 5.64, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.
Like any astronomical target, HR 4998 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 4998 scores 40 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 10 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 8 science badges — Variable star, Naked-eye visible, On the zodiac, Cool red M-type star, Giant star, Deep red star, Barely variable (under 0.05 mag) 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.