The Universe within 12.5 Light Years: The Nearest Stars --- Overview Total stars within 12.5 light years: 33 Most are red dwarfs—small, faint stars with about a tenth the Sun's mass and less than 1% its brightness. Approximately 80% of all stars in the universe are red dwarfs. The closest star, Proxima Centauri, is a typical red dwarf. --- Map Description The map visualizes all star systems within 12.5 light years of the Sun, showcasing the dominance of red dwarfs in this nearby cosmic neighborhood. --- Related Resources Zoomed Out View: Shows Earth's orbit out to the nearest star (stardist.html). Map of Stars within 20 Light Years: Expands the star map further out. Data and Catalogs: Listings of stars within 20 light years (nearstar.html). Multiple Star Orbits: Animations illustrating binary, triple, and quadruple star systems (orbits.html). --- Key Nearest Stars and Systems Sun Type: G2 (Yellow Dwarf) Magnitude: -26.8 Distance: 0 ly Host to 8 planets. Proxima Centauri Type: M5 (Red Dwarf) Magnitude: 11.0 Distance: 4.22 ly Nearest star to the Sun, part of Alpha Centauri system but distant from the main pair. Flare star capable of sudden brightening. Alpha Centauri A & B Types: G2 (Yellow Dwarf) + K0 (Orange Dwarf) Magnitudes: 0.0 + 1.4 Distance: 4.39 ly Orbital period around each other: 80 years. Proxima appears as a magnitude 4.8 star from here. Barnard's Star Type: M5 (Red Dwarf) Magnitude: 9.6 Distance: 5.94 ly Fastest proper motion star visible in the sky. Will be closest star to the Sun in ~8000 years. Wolf 359 Type: M6 (Red Dwarf) Magnitude: 13.5 Distance: 7.80 ly One of the dimmest known stars for many years. Lalande 21185 Type: M2 (Red Dwarf) Magnitude: 7.5 Distance: 8.31 ly Bright red dwarf; possible but unconfirmed Jupiter-sized planets. Sirius A & B Types: A1 (White) + DA (White Dwarf) Magnitudes: -1.4 + 8.4 Distance: 8.60 ly Brightest star in night sky; white dwarf companion discovered in 1852. Orbital period: 50 years. Luyten 726-8 A & B Types: M5 + M5 (Red Dwarfs) Magnitudes: 12.4 + 13.3 Distance: 8.73 ly Known as UV Ceti, a variable flare star system orbiting each other every 200 years. Epsilon Eridani Type: K2 (Orange Dwarf) Magnitude: 3.7 Distance: 10.50 ly Target of early SETI searches. Hosts a large Jupiter-sized planet at 3.2 AU discovered in 2000. Dust disk suggests a forming solar system. Procyon A & B Types: F5 (Yellow-White) + DA (White Dwarf) Magnitudes: 0.4 + 10.7 Distance: 11.41 ly Largest star within 25 light years; companion discovered in 1896. Orbital period: 41 years. 61 Cygni A & B Types: K5 + K7 (Orange Dwarfs) Magnitudes: 5.2 + 6.1 Distance: 11.41 ly First star with parallax distance measured (1838). Orbital period about 700 years. Epsilon Indi A, B, C Types: K5 (Orange Dwarf) + T1 & T6 (Brown Dwarfs) Magnitude: 4.7 Distance: 11.83 ly Brown dwarf companions orbiting each other every 16 years and orbiting the main star at 1500 AU with a 70,000-year period. Tau Ceti Type: G8 (Yellow Dwarf) Magnitude: 3.5 Distance: 11.90 ly Nearest single star similar to the Sun. Also targeted by early SETI efforts. --- Additional Notables Multiple binary and triple red dwarf systems such as Luyten 789-6 (triple system), Struve 2398, Groombridge 34. Many of these stars are flare stars, known for sudden brightness changes. Several stars have unconfirmed or probable planetary systems. --- Visual Highlight Epsilon Eridani features prominently with an image illustrating the