RA 208.0387° · Dec 6.0013° · star
10 more points to reach Rare.
HD 120896 is an uncommon variable star. It lies about 1,226.2 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Vir, shines at apparent magnitude 8.5 and has spectral type A3.
Its spectrum reads A3 — 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 120896 in the constellation Vir. At apparent magnitude 8.5, it is an easy target for binoculars.
Like any astronomical target, HD 120896 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 120896 scores 24 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 10 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, White A-type 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.