RA 206.7953° · Dec -62.5897° · star
15 more points to reach Epic.
HR 5171 is a rare variable star. It lies about 2,416 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cen, shines at apparent magnitude 6.4 and has spectral type A7V.
Its spectrum reads A7V — 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 HR 5171 in the constellation Cen. At apparent magnitude 6.4, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HR 5171 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 5171 scores 35 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 15 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 7 science badges — Variable star, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), White A-type star, Main-sequence star, Intrinsically luminous (Mv < −2), 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.