News Astronomy

Barnard’s star has at least one planet orbiting it after all

Data suggest that the red dwarf near our solar system may have three other planetary pals too

This artist's representation an exoplanet discovered orbiting the nearby red dward Barnard's star shows the curved edge of a red, rocky planet in the foreground, with a reddish-orange star just above the horizon in the distance.

A small rocky planet (in the foreground in this illustration) orbits Barnard’s star, a red dwarf that lies a mere six light-years from our solar system, a new study suggests.

M. Kornmesser/ESO

By Sid Perkins

A red dwarf star known as Barnard’s star, which lies a mere six light-years from our solar system, has at least one — and possibly a handful — of small rocky planets orbiting it, a new study suggests.