About Wolf 359
Wolf 359 is a rare star. It lies about 7.8 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Leo, shines at apparent magnitude 13.45 and has spectral type M6.
One of the closest objects of its kind to the Sun.
Rare star 36 EP
Wolf 359
RA 164.1223° · Dec 7.0153° · star
Score breakdown
· 3 badgesRare 46 pts → Epic
- Stellar next door (<10 ly) +25
- Has a proper name +8
- Star +3
Total score 36
10 more points to reach Epic.
Badges
- Star · +3
- Stellar next door (<10 ly) · +25
- Has a proper name · +8
Trivia
What makes it special
- Next-door neighbour. One of the closest objects of its kind to the Sun.
Could we get there?
- Verdict. A multi-generation starship could one day attempt the crossing.
Getting there
- Aboard Voyager 1. ≈ 137 thousand years at Voyager 1's speed (17 km/s).
- Fastest probe ever. ≈ 12.2 thousand years even at the Parker Solar Probe's 192 km/s.
- At 10% light speed. ≈ 78 years in a starship at a tenth of light speed.
- Distance. 7.8 light-years from Earth.
Look-back time
- Look-back time. The light you'd see left around the year 2018.
Saying hello
- Say hello. A radio message and its reply would take 15.6 years round-trip.
How we found it
- Named. Notable enough to have earned a proper name, not just a catalogue number.
Properties
- absmag
- 16.557
- bv
- 2
- constellation
- Leo
- dist ly
- 7.7971
- mag
- 13.45
- name
- Wolf 359
- named
- yes
- spect
- M6
How to see it
Look for Wolf 359 in the constellation Leo. At apparent magnitude 13.45, it takes a larger telescope or a long-exposure image to capture.
Like any astronomical target, Wolf 359 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why Wolf 359 is a rare star
Wolf 359 scores 36 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 10 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Star, Stellar next door (<10 ly) and Has a proper name — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.