Barnard's star

American  

[bahr-nerdz] / ˈbɑr nərdz /

noun

1. 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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Barnard's star British  

noun

1. a red dwarf star in the constellation Ophiuchus having the largest proper motion known

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Barnard's star Scientific  

/ bär′nərdz /

1. 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).

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Etymology

Origin of Barnard's star

After Edward E. Barnard (1857–1923), American astronomer, its discoverer

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Barnard's star

After carefully observing and studying the data from the instrument for more than 3 years, the team found solid evidence of four exoplanets around Barnard's star.

From Space Scoop ● Apr. 23, 2025

Barnard’s star, named after the astronomer, is a red dwarf floating in our Solar System’s neighbourhood.

From Space Scoop ● Apr. 23, 2025

Newly discovered by astronomers publishing for the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, Barnard b orbits the closest solo star to our own solar system, known as Barnard's star.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

Astronomers have found a planet orbiting Barnard's star - one of the closest to the Sun.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2018

Alpha Centauri, the most popular target, was not visible at this latitude; and Barnard's star, besides being far too faint, lay on the other side of the sun.

From Next Door, Next World by Locke, Robert Donald