Nearby star
Barnard's Star
Also GJ 699 · V2500 Oph
The nearest single star to the Sun, a red dwarf moving faster across the sky than any other star.
Measured
- Distance
- 5.96 light-years
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Position (J2000)
- RA 17h 57m 49s, Dec +4.69°
How far, from the Sun
5.96 light-years. To cross it:
- Light5.96 years
- Voyager 1's speed106,000 years
- Driving at 100 km/h64.4 million years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- It has the largest proper motion of any known star, about 10.4 arcseconds per year.
- E. E. Barnard measured its motion in 1916.
- Four small planets around it were confirmed in 2025.
Where this comes from
- Gaia DR3 parallax 546.9759 ± 0.0401 mas, Gaia DR3 4472832130942575872 (Gaia Collaboration 2023, A&A 674, A1)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.