Nearest neighbour
Barnard's Star
Second-closest star system; planet candidates announced 2024 after decades of false starts.
- Planets
- 4
- Distance
- 6.0 ly
- Host
- M-type
About Barnard's Star
Discovery
After decades of false starts and retracted detections, González Hernández et al. confirmed a sub-Earth-mass planet — Barnard b — around Barnard's Star in 2024 using ESPRESSO radial velocities at the VLT; three more candidate planets followed.
Why it matters
Barnard's Star is the second-closest stellar system to the Sun at 5.96 light-years and the closest single star. After a notorious century of phantom planet claims, the 2024 detection is the first robust confirmation around it.
Current research
Follow-up RV programs are refining the masses of Barnard b, c, d, and e; none are firmly in the habitable zone, but the system is a benchmark for the precision now achievable on nearby M-dwarfs.
Comparable to
An ancient red dwarf, our closest single-star neighbour, with at least one rocky world less massive than Earth in a sub-week orbit.
System geometry
At a glance
- Hostname
- Barnard's star
- Spectral type
- M3.5-4 V
- Distance
- 6.0 ly · 1.83 pc
- Stellar mass
- 0.16 M☉
- Stellar radius
- 0.18 R☉
- Luminosity
- 3.55e-3 L☉
- Effective temp
- 3195 K
- Confirmed planets
- 4
- Habitable zone
- 0.057 – 0.082 AU
Top-down orbital diagram
Orbits to scale within this system. Dashed green = habitable-zone edges.
Planet positions are illustrative (evenly spaced in phase). For live motion see the 3D scene.
The planets
4 confirmed.
Rocky world
Barnard d
- Orbit
- 0.019 AU
- Period
- 2.34 days
- Radius
- 0.69 R⊕
- Mass
- 0.26 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 483 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.040
- Discovered
- 2025 · Radial Velocity
Rocky world
Barnard b
- Orbit
- 0.023 AU
- Period
- 3.15 days
- Radius
- 0.72 R⊕
- Mass
- 0.30 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 438 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.030
- Discovered
- 2024 · Radial Velocity
Rocky world
Barnard c
- Orbit
- 0.027 AU
- Period
- 4.12 days
- Radius
- 0.74 R⊕
- Mass
- 0.34 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 400 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.080
- Discovered
- 2025 · Radial Velocity
Rocky world
Barnard e
- Orbit
- 0.038 AU
- Period
- 6.74 days
- Radius
- 0.64 R⊕
- Mass
- 0.19 M⊕
- Eq. temperature
- 340 K
- Eccentricity
- 0.040
- Discovered
- 2025 · Radial Velocity
Compared to our Solar System
Each row shows the closest Solar-System analog by radius (log-space). Earth is pinned at the bottom as the constant frame of reference.
| Planet | Radius (R⊕) | Mass (M⊕) | Orbit (AU) | Period (days) | Eq temp (K) | Solar analog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard d | 0.69 | 0.26 | 0.019 | 2.34 | 483 | Mars |
| Barnard b | 0.72 | 0.30 | 0.023 | 3.15 | 438 | Venus |
| Barnard c | 0.74 | 0.34 | 0.027 | 4.12 | 400 | Venus |
| Barnard e | 0.64 | 0.19 | 0.038 | 6.74 | 340 | Mars |
| Earth (reference) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.000 | 365.25 | 255 | — |
Research status
◇ JWST observation status
No JWST programs are currently targeting planets in this system. The system may be observed in future cycles or by upcoming missions (Ariel, HWO, Roman).
Discovery timeline
- 2024
Barnard b
via Radial Velocity
- 2025
3 planets: d, c, e
via Radial Velocity
If you liked this
Other systems in the same theme:
Ross 128
1 planets · 11.0 ly · M4
A quiet red dwarf 11 ly away with a temperate Earth-mass planet.
Tau Ceti
3 planets · 11.8 ly · G8.5V
Sun-like star 12 ly away — three confirmed planets, with the outermost (h) in the habitable zone.
Wolf 1061
3 planets · 14.0 ly · M3.5
14 ly away — three planets, the middle one in the habitable zone.
Experience it
See Barnard's Star in interactive 3D
Fly through the system, click any planet, watch orbits play out at 100× speed.
▶ Launch 3D scene