Wolf 424 A is one of a tight pair of very small red dwarfs in Virgo, both flare stars, circling each other on an orbit that can be followed within years.
At a glance
| type | red dwarf (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 14.3 light-years (4.39 pc) |
| its light left it | 14.3 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.0014 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.14 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 2,900 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Wolf 424 A
Wolf 424 A is a very low-mass red dwarf with a companion of similar size, Wolf 424 B, the two orbiting each other closely and quickly. Max Wolf catalogued it among stars with large motions across the sky. Both stars are tiny and cool, and both flare.
Close pairs like this are valuable because their orbits can be followed and the masses of the stars worked out directly, which pins down what the smallest stars weigh. To the eye there is nothing to see: the pair is visible only through a telescope.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and you find a dim, deep-red disc. In HUMAN EYE nothing shows in this part of Virgo.
Questions
How far away is Wolf 424?
Wolf 424 A is 14.3 light-years (4.39 pc) from the Sun.