RA 201.6691° · Dec -16.1046° · star
6 more points to reach Rare.
HD 116857 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 1,160.7 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Vir, shines at apparent magnitude 9.87 and has spectral type A8V.
Its spectrum reads A8V — an A-type star: white-hot, typically about twice the Sun's mass, and the class most of the sky's famous bright stars belong to.
Look for HD 116857 in the constellation Vir. At apparent magnitude 9.87, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, HD 116857 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 116857 scores 28 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 6 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), On the zodiac, White A-type star, Main-sequence 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.