Wolf 359 (star)

| Main Article
| Discussion
| Related Articles  [?]
| Bibliography  [?]
| External Links  [?]
| Citable Version  [?]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

[edit intro]

Wolf 359 is an M class dwarf star (also known as a red dwarf) in the constellation Leo. Its alternate names and catalogue numbers are

* N Leonis,
* Gl 406,
* GJ 406,[1]
* G 45-20,
* LFT 750,
* LTT 12923,
* LHS 36.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Proximity and properties
* 2 Location
* 3 References
* 4 Internal Links
* 5 External Links

## Proximity and properties[edit]

Wolf 359 is the fifth closest star to earth.[3] Located about 7.8 light years from earth, it is much smaller than earth’s star, Sol, at about 16% of Sol’s diameter. At the same distance from earth as Sol, it would be necessary to use a telescope to see its shape. It has approximately 9 % of Sol’s mass. Wolf 359 is also much dimmer at about 1/200,000th of Sol’s luminosity. It is too dim to see with the human eye and would cast only about 10 times the brightness reflected during a full moon on earth.[4][5][6]

Wolf 359 is a variable star [7] and flares periodically, growing dramatically in brightness and then receding in luminosity.[8]

## Location[edit]

Wolf 359 is located on the celestial sphere coordinates[9] at right ascension 10 hours 56 minutes 29.2 seconds and declination +07 degrees 00 arcminutes 53 arcseconds.[10][11][12][13][14]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Gliese and Jahreiss name denoted Catalog of Nearby Stars
2. ↑ Luyten Half Second catalogue (LHS)
3. ↑ Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years; Alpha Centauri A & Alpha Centauri B, 4.4 light years; Bernard’s Star, 5.9 light years
4. ↑ Coronagraphic Imaging of Nearby Stars Comparison with Ground-based View Space Telescope Science Institute
5. ↑ Wolf 359
6. ↑ On the mass radius relation of late M dwarfs Caillault, J-P, Patterson, J. (1990) Astronomical Journal
7. ↑ catalogued as variable star CN Leonis
8. ↑ Optical and infrared photometry of dwarf M and K stars Doyle, J.G., Butler, C.J. (1990) Astronomy and Astrophysics. 235:335-339.
9. ↑ Note: The celestial sphere has an earth correlated equator which is a projection of the same coordinates of earth. The correlating prime meridian runs through the vernal equinox (i.e. 0 hours 0 minutes & 0 seconds) marking the time from the vernal equinox in a 24-hour circle. So declination (latitude) for stars will directly correlate with that of earth and right ascension (longitude) correlates to a sphere that circumscribes earth’s orbital path around Sol. See Celestial Coordinate System University of Tennessee; and Celestial Coordinates James Schombert, Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Oregon
10. ↑ See illustration at The universe within 12.5 light years Richard Powell
11. ↑ Research Consortium on Nearby Stars (RECONS)
12. ↑ Recon census of objects nearer than 10 parsecs
13. ↑ The 100 nearest star systems
14. ↑ Nearby stars database Northern Arizona University

## Internal Links[edit]

Proxima Centauri (star)

Stellar classification (astrophysics)

## External Links[edit]