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Newly discovered star could be third closest to the Sun
Washington, May 22: US astronomers have discovered a new star in Earth`s neighbourhood - a so-called red dwarf that appears to be the third nearest star to the Sun.
Washington, May 22: US astronomers have discovered a new star in Earth`s neighbourhood - a so-called red dwarf that appears to be the third nearest star to the Sun.
The celestial body - so new it only has a number, ``so25300.5"165258``, and so faint it is only now being seen – is described in a paper to be published by the astrophysical journal, the national aeronautic and space administration said Tuesday.
``Our new stellar neighbour is a pleasant surprise, since we weren`t looking for it,`` said Bonnard Teegarden, a Nasa astrophysicist who is the lead author of the paper.
The star was discovered last September while the team was searching for something else - for white dwarf stars that move rapidly across the sky. Reports on its discovery have surfaced elsewhere since year`s begin, but Nasa only confirmed it this week.
The star is estimated to be 7.8 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Aries, a distance that is still being confirmed. The two closest stars to earth`s solar system are the star cluster Alpha Centauri, which is four light years away, and Barnard`s star, which is six light years away.
Bureau Report
``Our new stellar neighbour is a pleasant surprise, since we weren`t looking for it,`` said Bonnard Teegarden, a Nasa astrophysicist who is the lead author of the paper.
The star was discovered last September while the team was searching for something else - for white dwarf stars that move rapidly across the sky. Reports on its discovery have surfaced elsewhere since year`s begin, but Nasa only confirmed it this week.
The star is estimated to be 7.8 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Aries, a distance that is still being confirmed. The two closest stars to earth`s solar system are the star cluster Alpha Centauri, which is four light years away, and Barnard`s star, which is six light years away.
Bureau Report