The Top 10 Stars Nearest to the Earth in the Outer Space

The Top 10 Stars Nearest to the Earth in the Outer Space

Whatever be our age, stars have always and will always hold a certain fascination for us humans. Modern technology has made it possible for us to see the billions of stars in the observable universe up close and know about its characteristics in detail. While the billions of stars are scattered all over the cosmos, there are a few that give company to our planet and make up for 10 of the closest stars to us. To know more about these stars, keep reading! 

Ross 248 

We will start off this list with the tenth closest star to the Earth in the cosmos, which is Ross 248. It was catalogued in 1926 by Frank Elmore Ross. It is a dim red dwarf 10.3 light years away from us in the constellation of Andromeda. When it comes to the speed of the star, it is moving through the space so fast that in roughly 36000 years, it will become the second closest star to the Earth and will remain so in for at least 9000 years. Astronomers are quite interested in its evolution. They also anticipate that Voyager 2 probe will most likely pass quite closely by the star in around 40000 years. 

Ross 154

Located in the southern constellation of Sagittarius, Ross 154 is 9.68 light years away from the surface of the Earth, which makes it difficult to see with a naked eye. However, it is the 9th closest star to the Earth. You can easily view it with a telescope, whose aperture is 6.5 cm under ideal circumstances. It is an active flare star, which increases the brightness of its surface, by a complete order of magnitude in just a few minutes. Just like the Ross 248, it was catalogued by Frank Ross, just a year before in 1925.  

Luyten 726-8

At 8.7 light years, Luyten 726-8 or Gliese 65 is one of our planet’s nearest neighbours. It is a binary star system that is located in the constellation Cetus. The star is named after Willem Jacob Luyten as he helped find its proper motion. The brightness of the star varies over time. Also, one of the stars in the binary star system is an archetype of flare stars and that is why it is also known as the variable star designation- UV Ceti. 

Sirius 

The next star in this list is one of the most well-known to us humans, even those who are not familiar to the technical outer space. Sirius is a binary star system, containing stars Sirius A and Sirius B. It is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is commonly known as the ‘Dog Star’. Throughout history, it has been used as a sign of planting and a predictor of seasons by Egyptians and other ancient civilizations. The system is located in the constellation Canis Major and is just 8.58 light years away from Earth. 

Lalande 21185

Considered as the brightest red dwarf in the observable northern hemisphere, Lalande 21185 lies 8.307 light years away in the Ursa Major constellation. Despite being one of the brightest stars, it is too dim to see without a telescope. One of the most interesting things about this star is that it has a planetary system of its own. Understanding it may provide clues about the formation of these systems and their evolution. It got its name from Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande, who was a 19th century French astronomer. 

Wolf 359 

At about 7.78 light years away in the direction of the constellation Leo, Wolf 359 is a red dwarf. It is a pretty dim star to observe and not really visible through the naked eye. One of the most interesting trivia about this star is the it was the location of the battle in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” television series. The reason behind its popularity is its proximity of the home planet. It is also a flare star that increases its luminosity for a couple of minutes every so often. 

Barnard’s Star 

Barnard’s Star is about 6 light years away from us located in the Ophiuchus constellation. This red dwarf star is the fourth closest star to us and the closest one in the north of the celestial hemisphere. It was named after the American astronomer E.E. Barnard. For a while, scientists thought that planets were orbiting the star. However, even after various attempts to spot them, they could not find proof of their existence. While it does seem like the Barnard’s star has no planetary neighbours, scientists will keep on looking for the distant future. 

Alpha Centauri 

We are getting almost at the end of this list. Alpha Centauri is the binary system that bags the spot for the third closest star to the Earth. It is just 4.37 light years away from us located in the constellation Centaurus. While the system has 3 primary stars, the third spot is for Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. If you observe them in the night sky, they will appear as a single star, which is the third brightest star visible to naked eye. While it is the 3rd brightest star in the night sky, it is the most blazing star in the southern part of its constellation. 

Proxima Centauri 

Proxima Centauri is the second nearest star to the Earth. It is the part of the Alpha Centauri binary star system. It is the third primary star after Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. While the first two stars are 4.37 light years away, Proxima Centauri is closer to us and is just 4.244 light years away from us. The name of the star is latin and it means ‘the nearest star of Centaurus’. Discovered by Robert Innes in 1915, it is also the nearest star to our home star. 

The Sun 

Last but definitely not the least is the closest star to us. Apart from being the nearest star to the Earth at a distance of 8.5 light minutes away, it is one of the biggest reasons behind life on Earth. The 5-billion-year-old star is located at the center of our solar system and accounts for more than 99% of the entire mass of the system. The Sun is a yellow dwarf star and is the reason why there is light on Earth. While 8.5 light minutes sound extremely small as compared to the other stars in this list, in simple terms, the Sun is 149 million kilometers away from us. 

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