A star is speeding towards the solar system at a speed of up to 142 kilometers per second. The star has a mass of about 14% of the mass of the Sun and a radius of one-sixth of the Sun. The surface temperature is only 2860 degrees Celsius. This star is Barnard's Star. Barnard is located about 6 light-years from Earth and is the second closest star among the 10 closest stars around the solar system. So, how long does it take for Barnard to fly to reach the vicinity of Earth? Will our solar system become a binary star system in the future? Hello everyone, welcome to the Encyclopedia set.
Barnard, a red dwarf star located near the β Ophiuchus, is known for its relatively small mass and size. This star is the closest star system to us in the constellation Ophiuchus and the second closest star to the Sun in the universe. Barnard's self-velocity is remarkable, reaching 10.3 arc seconds per year, making it the largest star known to be relative to the Sun.
In 1916, the American astronomer Edward Barnard first measured and recorded this phenomenon, so the star was named Barnard Star in honor of Barnard's discovery in astronomy.
Astronomers have observed that Barnard is an M4-type red dwarf star, its light is not dazzling, it is so dim that it almost blends into the night sky, and only through the lens of a telescope can we get a glimpse of its true appearance. Barnard has an apparent magnitude of 9.54 and is between 7 billion and 12 billion years old. Compared to the stars shining in the night sky, Barnard is extraordinarily humble.
As a red dwarf star in the universe, Barnard carries the mysteries of the outer solar system with its petite body. Its mass is about 14% of the mass of the Sun and about 180 times the mass of Jupiter. Its radius is about one-sixth that of the Sun, equivalent to 231,800 kilometers. As can be calculated from the size and diameter of Barnard's star, it is about 6,000 times the volume of the Earth.
By analyzing the spectrum emitted by the star and the stellar color index, the scientists determined that the surface temperature of Barnard Star is about 3,100 Kelvin, or 2,860 degrees, which is equivalent to 50% of the surface temperature of the Sun.
Although it is not as hot as the Sun, it is hot enough to maintain its status as a star and warm the space around it. It is this faint light that gives us a glimpse of the depth and diversity of the universe.
However, the most surprising thing for astronomers is that Barnard is speeding towards the solar system at a speed of 142 kilometers per second, and in about 10,000 years it will get closer to the solar system.
Astronomers calculate it through high-precision spectral measurements. Barnard and the Sun are like trains on two railroad tracks, although they seem to be heading towards each other face to face at a moment, their fates have long been written by the laws of the universe, which dooms them to continue their eternal interstellar journey along their respective trajectories.
Because the gravitational pull of the Sun is huge, it is almost impossible to capture Barnard's star at high speed. And the solar system is not going to be a binary star system in the universe.
However, we can expect Barnard to reach an unprecedented perisis from the solar system in 10,000 years. At that moment, Barnard Star will briefly become one of the most shining stars in our night sky in recent times.
Sadly, all good encounters will eventually come to a time, and Barnard, after passing by the solar system, will continue its interstellar journey, and it will gradually move away from our solar system and become an unreachable bright spot in the starry sky again.
Some night in the future, when we look up at the starry sky, we may think of this "encounter" between Barnard and the sun. At the same time, it reminds us that even in the vastness of the universe, every moment when stars meet each other is so unique and precious.
And we, who are on Earth, as tiny beings in the universe, are not lucky to be able to witness this historic moment?
Barnard, not only a star in the Milky Way, but also a watchman in the universe, quietly burning its own life in the constellation Ophiuchus, with its faint but determined light, tells the oldest story in the universe.