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Barnard's Star has long been a focus of interest for people who study worlds beyond our solar system. It sits about six light-years from Earth and is known for its quick motion across our sky.
For years, astronomers have wondered whether it might harbor planets that could help us understand how planetary systems form.
Now, they seem to have gotten their wish. Recent observations suggest there may be four miniature planets orbiting Barnard's Star.
Each is calculated to be just 20 to 30% the mass of Earth and completes one full trip around the star in only a few days.
These findings have caught many people's attention because they point to greater precision in detecting smaller, more elusive planets.
"It's a really exciting find ⁘ Barnard's Star is our cosmic neighbor, and yet we know so little about it," said Ritvik Basant, Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago and first author on the study. "It's signaling a breakthrough with the precision of these new instruments from previous generations."
Barnard's Star first came to light in 1916, thanks to astronomer E. E. Barnard at Yerkes Observatory . Ever since, scientists have been keeping an eye on it.
They nicknamed it a "great white whale" because people have often claimed to see planets there, only to be disappointed later. This time, the work is featured in The Astrophysical Journal Letters , dated March 11.
Observers used to rely on less sensitive equipment, which sometimes produced conflicting signals. That is one reason the star became such a legend among planet hunters, who occasionally thought they had proof but eventually realized their results were inconclusive.
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