Barnard's Star is the second closest star system to Earth, at a distance of 5.96 light-years. It's another red dwarf system well positioned close to the celestial equator. Astronomers have observed Barnard's Star with the 500-meter FAST radio telescope, scanning for any signals from an advanced civilization.
Barnard’s Star is a small red dwarf just six light-years from Earth. Despite its proximity, it was only noticed in 1916 when E. E. Barnard found it had a particularly high proper motion. It had appeared in photographic plates taken by Harvard Observatory in the late 1800s, but as a small dim star, no one took notice of it. Since its discovery, Barnard’s Star has been one of the most studied red dwarfs.
This makes Barnard’s Star a bit unusual since most red dwarfs have planets. For example, the red dwarf star Kepler-42 is similar in size and age to Barnard’s Star and has at least three terrestrial planets. So while Barnard’s Star isn’t a strong candidate for alien life, a recent study has made detailed observations of the star, looking for any signs of an extraterrestrial signal.
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