Luyten's Star

Luyten's Star

Luyten's Star, also known as GJ 273, is a small, cool star in the constellation Canis Minor. It is about 12.35 light-years from our Sun, making it one of our closest stars. However, Luyten's Star is too faint to see without a telescope. Its visual magnitude is 9.9.

The star is named after Willem Jacob Luyten, an astronomer. He and Edwin G. Ebbighausen found its fast movement across the sky in 1935. This movement is called proper motion and helped scientists know it was a nearby star.

Luyten's Star has at least two known planets, and scientists are looking at two more possible planets. One planet, called Luyten b, is in the circumstellar habitable zone. This is an area where liquid water might exist, making it exciting for the search for life beyond Earth.

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 it is much dimmer than Procyon.

Planetary system

In March 2017, scientists found two planets that might orbit Luyten's Star. The outer planet, GJ 273b, is a bit larger than Earth and could have liquid water. The inner planet, GJ 273c, is one of the smallest planets found.

These planets are close to Earth and might be places where life could exist. In 2019, scientists found two more possible planets, making four potential planets around Luyten's Star.