Barnard's Star

Barnard's Star is a 9.53 magnitude red dwarf star in the constellation Ophiuchus. At a distance of 5.96 light years, it is the next nearest star after the Alpha Centauri system, and the nearest star visible from Creede, CO. Because the Alpha Centauri system comprises three stars, two sun-sized stars and a distant red dwarf (Proxima Centauri), Barnard's Star is the fourth nearest star to our solar system.

Barnard's Star is famous for its high proper motion (motion relative to the distant background stars).  Its proper motion of 10.4" per year was first measured by the astronomer E.E. Barnard in 1916.  Since then the star has moved about 0.6 deg across the sky, larger than the diameter of the full moon.

The location of Barnard's Star in Ophiuchus.  The bright whitish star beneath the cluster IC 4665 is Kappa Ophiuchi.  Image obtained with an Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens and Kenko Softon-A diffusion filter.

 

A 4-deg square.  The circle is 0.5-deg diameter.  Barnard's Star has moved more than the diameter of this circle since its motion was first measured in 1916.

A closer look, this taken with a Rokinon 135mm f/2 lens on 26 Oct 2021.  The image is approximately 2 deg wide.

 

Red dwarf stars are the most common type of star in our galaxy.  Fifty of the nearest sixty stars are red dwarfs, yet none of them are visible to the naked eye.  Because of their low mass (Barnard's Star is about 1/7 the mass of our sun) and slow rate of hydrogen burning these stars can have lifetimes measured in trillions of years. Anyone motivated to seek out one of these dim stars in a telescope will be rewarded with a view of a star that is not only one of our nearest neighbors, but one which will still be shining long after our own sun has become a dying ember.

I recently searched for Barnard's Star visually.  It was an easy sight with an 80mm f/6 refractor and a 20mm eyepiece (24x).  A good electronic star atlas is a big help in finding faint stars.  I am currently using Sky Safari 6 Plus on an iPad mini 4.  Beware, however,  that Sky Safari does not correct for proper motion by default.  You have to go into "Settings | Precession" and check the box for proper motion.

(Clicking on any image will open a gallery view that gives access to the full-size version by right-clicking and saving or opening in a new tab.)