Luyten's Star

Luyten's Star, also known as GJ 273, is a small, cool star found in the constellation Canis Minor. It lies about 12.35 light-years from our Sun, which makes it one of our nearest stellar neighbors. Despite its closeness, Luyten's Star is too dim to see without a telescope because its brightness, or visual magnitude, is 9.9.

The star is named after Willem Jacob Luyten, an astronomer who, along with Edwin G. Ebbighausen, discovered its rapid movement across the sky in 1935. This quick movement, called proper motion, helped astronomers recognize it as a nearby star.

What makes Luyten's Star especially interesting is that it has at least two confirmed planets orbiting it, with scientists studying two more possible planets as well. One of these planets, called Luyten b, lies in the circumstellar habitable zone — an area around the star where conditions might be just right for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface. This possibility sparks excitement in the search for places beyond Earth where life could potentially be found.

Properties

Luyten's Star is a small red star, about a quarter the size of our Sun. It is a cool star with a temperature of about 3,150 K, giving it a red-orange color.

This star is moving away from our Solar System. It came closest to us about 13,000 years ago and is now about 12.35 light-years away. It is located near the bright star Procyon, but is much dimmer than Procyon.

Planetary system

In March 2017, scientists found two planets that might be orbiting Luyten's Star. The outer planet, GJ 273b, is a bit larger than Earth and sits in an area where liquid water could exist. The inner planet, GJ 273c, is one of the smallest planets of its kind ever found.

These planets are among the closest known to Earth that could be in a position where life might survive. Later in 2019, two more possible planets were found, bringing the total to four potential planets around Luyten's Star.