Lalande 21185 is one of the brightest red dwarfs in the northern sky, lying in Ursa Major, yet still just too faint to see with the naked eye.
At a glance
| type | red dwarf (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 8.3 light-years (2.55 pc) |
| its light left it | 8.3 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.0219 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.39 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 3,600 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Lalande 21185
Lalande 21185 is a red dwarf, larger and brighter than most of its kind near the Sun, and bright enough to be found with binoculars in Ursa Major. It is named after its number in the star catalogue compiled under the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande, who recorded it without knowing how close it was.
It was long a target for planet hunters, and early claims of planets around it did not survive. More recently, careful measurements of its wobble have revealed at least one planet, a world larger than the Earth on a short, hot orbit.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and the disc is a warm orange-red, steadier than the flare stars nearby. In HUMAN EYE it sits below the eye’s limit, just out of reach.
Measured or modelled
The number and nature of its planets are still being refined.
Questions
Can you see Lalande 21185?
Not with the naked eye. It is a red dwarf with a luminosity of 0.0219 × the Sun; binoculars show it.
How far away is Lalande 21185?
Lalande 21185 is 8.3 light-years (2.55 pc) from the Sun.