Ross 248 is a faint red dwarf in Andromeda that is approaching the Sun and will, for a time in the far future, become our nearest star.
At a glance
| type | red dwarf (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 10.3 light-years (3.16 pc) |
| its light left it | 10.3 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.0018 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.16 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 2,800 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Ross 248
Ross 248 is a small, cool red dwarf, invisible without a telescope, found by Frank Ross in his survey of fast-moving stars. It is a flare star, and like most red dwarfs it is unremarkable in itself.
What sets it apart is its path. It is heading towards the Sun, and in the distant future it will pass closer than Proxima Centauri is now, becoming for a while the nearest star to us before moving away again. The second Voyager probe, coasting out of the Solar System, is travelling in its general direction and will pass it, though at a distance of light-years and long after the probe has gone silent.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and you find a dim red disc. In HUMAN EYE, nothing marks its place in Andromeda.
Measured or modelled
The timing of its closest approach depends on how precisely its motion is measured, and the Voyager probe’s passage is a projection, not a rendezvous.
Questions
Which star will be closest to the Sun in the future?
Ross 248, now 10.3 light-years (3.16 pc) away, is approaching and will for a time come closer than Proxima Centauri.