Rastaban

Rastaban is a dwarf star located in the constellation Dra, designated by coordinates RA 262.6081°, Dec 52.3014°. Its visual magnitude is 2.548, placing it comfortably within the zone of sight for most telescopes.

Rastaban’s remarkable characteristics derive primarily from its proximity to the Pleiades star cluster. This cluster is a large, bright collection of young, bright stars, providing a crucial element of its observable space. Its established magnitude, while relatively low, points to a potential for interesting stellar evolution characteristics compared to more massive stars.

Rastaban has demonstrated a notably slow pace of evolution over its lifetime. It is known to be a red dwarf star, meaning it is cooler and fainter than our Sun. It appears to have a period of orbital stability, having maintained a roughly consistent distance from Earth for an exceptionally long duration – significantly exceeding the typical lifetime of a stellar system.

While its precise spectral characteristics are relatively obscure due to its youth and composition, initial observations suggest it is an ancient type of red dwarf. The relatively high parallax data collected suggests that Rastaban has travelled significantly across the southern skies during the period of its existence, highlighting its potential role in the formation of planetary systems – suggesting a possible migration history. Understanding its long-term trajectory provides insights into the conditions prevalent at its early stage.

How to see it

Rastaban has a visual magnitude of about 2.55: under a reasonably dark sky it is typically reachable with the unaided eye.

Sky position

Equatorial coordinates for Rastaban: right ascension 17h 30m 26s, declination +52° 18′ 5″ (J2000), on the celestial sphere.

Catalog context

Rastaban. It appears in classical and modern catalogs as Bayer/Flamsteed designation 23Bet Dra, HIP 85670, HD 159181, Gaia DR3 1415230383034813824.

Catalog identifiers

Gaia

Gaia DR3 1415230383034813824

HIP

85670

HD

159181

gaia_dr3

1415230383034813824

Bayer / Flamsteed

23Bet Dra

Observed properties

Visual magnitude

2.55