RA 211.6709° · Dec -36.3700° · star
6 more points to reach Rare.
Menkent is an uncommon star. It lies about 58.8 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cen, shines at apparent magnitude 2.06 and has spectral type K0IIIb.
Its spectrum reads K0IIIb — a K-type star. Orange K dwarfs are the marathon runners of the galaxy, burning steadily for tens of billions of years.
Look for Menkent in the constellation Cen. At apparent magnitude 2.06, it can be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.
Like any astronomical target, Menkent 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.
Menkent 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 5 science badges — Star, Naked-eye visible, Has a proper name, Orange K-type star and Giant 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.