Cosmic Scale
Barnard's Star
Red dwarf · 6 light-years
How big is Barnard's Star?
Barnard's Star is about 260,200 km across.
See Barnard's Star in 3D, at true scale
Barnard's Star moves across our sky faster than any other star — a tenth of the Moon's width each century. It is an old, quiet red dwarf and the closest single star to the Sun.
At a glance
| Diameter | 260,200 km |
|---|---|
| Mass | 3.22 × 10²⁹ kg |
| Diameter compared with Earth | 20.4 × Earth |
| Distance | 6 light-years |
| Motion | 10.3 arcseconds a year |
| Age | Around 10 billion years |
| Surface | 3,134 K |
Good to know
- It is racing toward us and will pass within 3.8 light-years in about 11,800 years.
- Claims of planets around it in the 1960s turned out to be instrument errors; a genuine planet was confirmed in 2024.
- Despite being so close, you need a telescope to see it.