Gliese 710 (HD 168442, HIP 89825)

Gliese 710. Image: Palomar Digitized Sky Survey

An orange dwarf star (type K7) in the constellation Serpens that is moving more-or-less directly towards the solar system. Calculations indicate that it will pass within 1.1 light-years of the Sun in 1.5 million years time – close enough possibly to disrupt planetary orbits and cause perturbations of objects in the Oort Cloud that would send a shower of comets and asteroids into the region of the inner planets.

The closest "recent" encounter between our solar system and another star took place about 500,000 years when Gliese 208 came within 4 light-years of the Sun – a bit closer than our current nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri.

distance	63 light-years (19 pc)
spectral type	K7V
luminosity (Sun=1)	0.042
apparent magnitude	9.7
absolute magnitude	8.7±0.3
position	R.A. 18h 19m 51s, Dec. -01° 56.4'
other catalog designations	BD-01 3474, Gl 710, HIP 89825, HD 168442, U449, Vys/McC 63, NSV 10635

Related category

• NOTABLE STARS

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