Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a game filled with community-driven events, passive skilling opportunities, and unique methods to progress your account. Among the most beloved additions in recent years are shooting stars—falling celestial bodies that land across Gielinor, offering players stardust, experience, and a highly social mining activity.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about OSRS stars: how to find them, whether free-to-play (F2P) players can mine them, their AFK potential, why they disappear, what “zenith stars” are, how long they last, and even how OSRS ticks tie into AFK timing. By the end, you’ll be fully equipped to join the hunt and maximize your rewards.
How to Find Stars in OSRS?
The first question every player asks is: how do you even find these stars?
Stars spawn across the world roughly every two hours per game world. Each world’s star lands in a random region at a random tier (between tier 1 and tier 9). While this might sound chaotic, the community has developed multiple tracking methods to make it easier.
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Telescopes in Player-Owned Houses (POH)
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Build an oak, teak, or mahogany telescope in your house to get a clue about the star’s landing region.
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Accuracy improves with higher-tier telescopes:
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Oak telescope → 24-minute prediction window
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Teak telescope → 9-minute window
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Mahogany telescope → 2-minute window
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Community Trackers
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The most popular way today is to use live trackers such as 07.gg Shooting Star Tracker or OSRSPortal’s star feed.
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These tools mirror data collected by the Star Miners Discord and clan chat, updating in real time when players call out star locations.
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Clan Chats & Discord Servers
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Join dedicated groups like Star Miners that announce coordinates, tiers, and worlds. This social method is one of the most reliable ways to stay active in the star-hunting community.
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Tip: Stars usually appear 20–50 minutes after a world reset, then fall in repeating cycles of roughly 90 minutes (with a ±15-minute variance).
Can F2P Mine Stars?
Yes! Shooting stars are not exclusive to members. Stars do crash on free-to-play worlds, and F2P miners can mine stardust just like members.
The rewards, however, are slightly different in impact:
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Dusuri’s Star Shop, located in Falador, is available to both P2P and F2P players.
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Many of the rewards, such as the Celestial Ring or soft clay packs, benefit members more, but F2P miners still gain access to stardust, experience, and gem bags.
This makes shooting stars one of the most unique F2P-friendly cooperative activities in OSRS.
How AFK Are Stars in OSRS?
Shooting stars are famous for being incredibly AFK-friendly.
Here’s why:
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Each star consists of multiple layers (tiers). You mine a layer until it shrinks into the next one, which happens roughly every 7 minutes.
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During each tier, you only need to click once to begin mining—and you can AFK until that tier runs out.
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This means you can go about 7 full minutes per click before needing to re-engage.
In addition, OSRS introduced an AFK Logout Timer setting, allowing you to stay logged in for up to 25 minutes without being kicked (more on that later).
Result: star mining is one of the most hands-off activities in the game—ideal for multitasking or casual play.
Why Do Stars Disappear in OSRS?
If you’ve ever returned to a star only to find it gone, here’s why:
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Each star begins at a tier (from T9 down to T1).
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After every ~7 minutes, it shrinks one tier as players mine it.
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Once it reaches tier 1 and is fully depleted, the star disappears entirely.
This mechanic ensures stars don’t last forever and encourages competition, cooperation, and timely participation.
How to Find a Zenith Star?
The term “zenith star” is commonly used by players to describe a tier 9 (highest-tier) star. These are the most sought-after because they offer the longest lifespan and the most stardust.
To find these quickly:
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Use live trackers like 07.gg or OSRSPortal.
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Filter the feed by tier or look for high-tier calls.
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Join groups that specialize in reporting fresh tier 9 stars.
How Long Do Shooting Stars Last?
A star’s total lifespan depends on its tier when it lands.
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Each tier = ~7 minutes.
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Example: A tier 9 star has 9 layers, meaning it will last roughly 63 minutes before depletion.
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A tier 6 star, by contrast, will last around 42 minutes.
This makes spotting stars at higher tiers much more valuable, since they give more time for players to join and benefit.
How Long Can You AFK Star Mining?
There are two angles here:
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Per Layer AFK Time
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You can mine up to ~7 minutes per click before the star drops a tier and you need to click again.
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Idle Logout Time
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Normally, OSRS logs you out after 5 minutes of inactivity.
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With the AFK Logout Timer setting (introduced via Poll 84), you can extend this up to 25 minutes on the official client.
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This means that with a little setup, you can realistically AFK for 25 minutes straight, only needing to re-click every 7 minutes for star layers.
How Many “5 Stars” Do You Have in F2P?
Players sometimes ask about “5 stars” in F2P. This usually refers to tier 5 stars or the number of F2P landing locations.
Based on community mapping, there are about 21 F2P-accessible landing sites out of the ~79 total OSRS star locations. This gives free players a solid pool of stars to chase without needing membership.
How Long Is 1 Tick in OSRS?
Understanding ticks is crucial for AFK calculations.
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1 tick = 0.6 seconds (600 ms).
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Many skilling and combat mechanics revolve around this system.
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In the context of stars, the ~7-minute tier change corresponds to around 700 ticks.
This is why timing matters so much when AFKing—knowing the tick system allows you to maximize your idle time.
How to 25-Minute AFK OSRS?
Want to stretch your AFK time to the maximum? Here’s how:
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Official Client
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Go to Settings → Gameplay → AFK Logout Timer.
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Adjust the timer (in 5-minute increments) up to a maximum of 25 minutes.
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RuneLite Plugin
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The popular RuneLite client has a Logout Timer plugin with the same range of 5–25 minutes.
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With this setup, you can safely AFK stars without worrying about being logged out too soon, making shooting stars one of the most AFK-friendly activities in the game.
Conclusion: OSRS Stars and the Community Experience
Shooting stars aren’t just another skilling method—they’ve become a social centerpiece of OSRS. They bring together miners across Gielinor, unite F2P and P2P players, and provide a truly community-driven event that rewards patience, teamwork, and persistence.
From understanding how to find stars and maximize AFK time to knowing why they disappear and how long they last, mastering the star-hunting game is both rewarding and relaxing. Whether you’re chasing stardust for Dusuri’s rewards, mining casually for XP, or simply enjoying the social atmosphere, OSRS stars are a shining highlight of modern RuneScape.
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