Gliese 710

Gliese 710

Gliese 710, also known as HIP 89825, is an orange-colored star in the constellation Serpens Cauda. Scientists believe this star will pass close to our Sun in about 1.29 million years.

At its closest point, Gliese 710 will be much nearer to us than the closest star we have today, Proxima Centauri.

When Gliese 710 comes close to the Sun, it could shine as brightly as some of the brightest planets we see in our night sky. People might notice this star moving quickly across the sky over many years.

This prediction comes from data collected by the Gaia spacecraft. Even though this will happen millions of years from now, it helps scientists learn about how stars move and change over long periods of time.

Description

Gliese 710 is a small star about 62.3 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens. It is a cool, orange star that shines dimly and is too faint to see without a telescope.

The star is about 57% the size of the Sun and has 57% of the Sun's mass. It makes energy by combining hydrogen atoms in its core, a process called thermonuclear fusion. Scientists think it might change slightly in brightness, but no planets have been found around it yet.

Computing and details of the closest approach

Scientists have looked at how close Gliese 710 might get to our Sun in the future. They think it may pass through a faraway area called the Oort cloud around our solar system.

It is hard to know exactly how close Gliese 710 will come to the Sun because it depends on the star’s position and speed. Over time, guesses have changed. Some early ideas said it might come as close as about 0.3 parsecs, but newer studies think it could come even closer—around 0.05 parsecs or about 10,520 astronomical units from the Sun. This closest point is expected to happen in about 1.29 million years.

In popular culture

In 2022, the band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard used the name Gliese 710 for the last song on their album Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava. The song was written in a special style of music called Locrian mode.