Barnard's star
[ bahr-nerdz ]
/ ˈbɑr nərdz /
noun
a red dwarf star of magnitude 9.5 in the constellation Ophiuchus, having the largest known proper motion and being the nearest star to earth (5.9 light-years) beyond the Alpha Centauri system.
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Origin of Barnard's star
after Edward E. Barnard (1857–1923), American astronomer, its discoverer
Words nearby Barnard's star
Barnaby, barnacle, barnacle goose, Barnard, Barnardo, Barnard's star, Barnaul, Barnave, barnboard, barnburner, barn dance
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for Barnard's star
Barnard's star
noun
a red dwarf star in the constellation Ophiuchus having the largest proper motion known
Word Origin for Barnard's star
C20: named after Edward Emerson barnard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for Barnard's star
Barnard's star
[ bär′nərdz ]
A dim, main-sequence red dwarf in the constellation Ophiuchus that is the second nearest star to Earth after the Alpha-Centauri system. Although it is only 5.98 light-years from our solar system, it is too faint to be seen with the unaided eye. Barnard's star has a greater proper motion (movement with respect to the background stars that is caused by an object's own motion rather than by how it is viewed from Earth) than any other star. Barnard's star is named for its identifier, American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard (1857-1923).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.