Barnard's Star
Scientific overview
Barnard's Star is a red dwarf in the constellation Ophiuchus (Ophiuchi), lying about 5.95 light-years from Earth.
Class M. Cool red stars. The most common type in the galaxy, ranging from red dwarfs to red giants. Such stars have surface temperatures around 2,400–3,700 K and appear red to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | sdM4 |
| Apparent magnitude | 9.54 |
| Absolute magnitude | 13.24 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 1.57 |
| Distance | 5.95 ly (1.82 pc) |
Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.
Precision measurements
Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD and Gaia DR3 · Gaia DR3 4472832130942575872
| Parallax | 547 ± 0.0401 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Distance | 1.8281 pc | Gaia · estimated |
| Proper motion (RA) | -801.6 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 10362.4 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | -110.1 ± 2.000e-4 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | M4V | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Effective temperature | 3099.6 K | Gaia · modeled |
| Radius | 0.207 R_sun | Gaia · modeled |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 4.764 log(cm/s^2) | Gaia · modeled |
| Metallicity [M/H] | -0.9072 dex | Gaia · modeled |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 269.5 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 4.6934 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Distance: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia EDR3 · Bailer-Jones (2021) · external.gaiaedr3_distance · r_med_geo · row 4472832130942575872 · Bayesian estimate · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2018MNRAS.475.1960F · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 1991ApJS...77..417K · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Effective temperature: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · teff_gspphot · row 4472832130942575872 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radius: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · radius_gspphot · row 4472832130942575872 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Surface gravity (log g): ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · logg_gspphot · row 4472832130942575872 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Metallicity [M/H]: ESA Gaia astrometric survey · Gaia DR3 · gaiadr3.astrophysical_parameters · mh_gspphot · row 4472832130942575872 · model output · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Evolution
A red dwarf is a small, cool, low-mass main-sequence star. Red dwarfs burn their fuel so slowly that they can shine for tens of billions of years — far longer than the present age of the universe.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationOphiuchus
- Orbited byBarnard b
- Orbited byBarnard c
- Orbited byBarnard d
- Orbited byBarnard e
Related stars in Ophiuchus
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus
Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
- HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission
High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.