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Star with planets

Gliese 581

Also GJ 581

Open in Ouranos

A nearby red dwarf with several planets, at the centre of years of debate over which of them are real.

Measured

Distance
21 light-years
Constellation
Libra
Position (J2000)
RA 15h 19m 27s, Dec −7.72°

How far, from the Sun

20.6 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light20.6 years
  • Voyager 1's speed365,000 years
  • Driving at 100 km/h222 million years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • Some of its claimed planets were later shown to be signals from the star's own activity.
  • Its distance comes from a Gaia parallax: the tiny yearly shift in its position as the Earth circles the Sun.

Where this comes from

  • Gaia DR3 parallax 158.7183 ± 0.0301 mas, Gaia DR3 6322070093095493504 (Gaia Collaboration 2023, A&A 674, A1)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.