Gliese 526

Description

Gliese 526, also known as GJ 526, Lalande 25372, or Wolf 498, is a red dwarf star in the northern constellation of Boötes. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 8.5, which means it is too dim to see without a telescope.

This star is close to our solar system, about 17.7 light-years from Earth, as measured by the Hipparcos satellite. Red dwarfs like Gliese 526 are the most common stars in the Milky Way galaxy. They burn more slowly and steadily than bigger stars. By studying stars such as Gliese 526, astronomers can learn more about how stars and galaxies form and change over time.

History of observations

This star has been known since 1801. It was added to a list of stars by Lalande. In 1847, it got the number 25372 and was sometimes called Lalande 25372.

By 1911, scientists had measured how fast the star moves and how far it is from Earth. In 1919, a German astronomer named Max Wolf added it to a list of stars that move quickly. He gave it the number 498.

Properties

GJ 526 is a flare star. This means its brightness can suddenly get bigger sometimes. It is a red dwarf, a smaller kind of star. GJ 526 is smaller than our Sun. It has only about half the mass and size of the Sun. It also shines much less brightly.

Scientists searched for extra infrared light around GJ 526. This could show if there is a ring of dust or rocks orbiting the star, called a debris disk. But no extra light was found. So it looks like GJ 526 does not have such a disk.