Luyten’s Star is a red dwarf in Canis Minor with a super-Earth in its temperate zone, lying close to Procyon both on the sky and in space.
At a glance
| type | red dwarf (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 12.3 light-years (3.79 pc) |
| its light left it | 12.3 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.0035 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.29 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 3,150 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Luyten's Star
Luyten’s Star is a red dwarf, too faint for the naked eye, named after Willem Luyten, who measured its large motion across the sky. It lies in Canis Minor, close to Procyon on the sky, and it is close to Procyon in space too: seen from Luyten’s Star, Procyon would be a brilliant star in its sky.
Measurements of its wobble have revealed planets, including a world a few times the mass of the Earth in the zone where liquid water could exist. It was the target of a deliberate radio message sent from Earth, one of a handful ever beamed at a particular star.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and you find a dull orange-red disc, with Procyon shining nearby. In HUMAN EYE only Procyon shows in this part of the sky.
Questions
How far away is Luyten’s Star?
Luyten’s Star is 12.3 light-years (3.79 pc) from the Sun.