LHS 288 is a faint, very small red dwarf in the southern sky, close to the Sun yet so dim that it was singled out only by its fast drift across the sky.
At a glance
| type | red dwarf (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 15.5 light-years (4.76 pc) |
| its light left it | 15.5 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.0006 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.12 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 2,900 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About LHS 288
LHS 288 is among the least massive stars in the Sun’s neighbourhood, a small ball of gas that fuses hydrogen at a very slow rate. Its cool surface gives out most of its energy as infrared light, and in visible light it is far too faint for the eye.
Its name comes from Luyten’s catalogue of stars with large proper motion. Stars close to the Sun appear to move across the sky over the years, and surveys for such motion are one of the ways faint neighbours like this were found long before their distances were measured.
What you see in the piece
From Earth it is hidden well below the naked-eye limit in the piece. Fly to it and it is a small, dull red point.
Questions
How far away is LHS 288?
LHS 288 is 15.5 light-years (4.76 pc) from the Sun, so its light left it 15.5 years ago.