Ross 248
Star
Ross 248 — a small red dwarf (M5V) 10.3 light-years away in Andromeda, a gently variable flare star (HH Andromedae). It has a remarkable future: in about 36,000 years its own motion through space will carry it within ~3.0 light-years of the Sun — closer than Proxima Centauri — briefly making it our nearest star. No planets are confirmed.
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Key facts
Mass
2.70 × 10²⁹ kg
0.136 M☉
Radius
108,529 km
16% of the Sun's radius
Surface temperature
2,799 K (2526 °C)
Luminosity
6.89 × 10²³ W
Spectral type
M5V (red dwarf; variable HH Andromedae)
Science
Physical
- Mass
- 2.70 × 10²⁹ kg · 0.136 M☉
- Radius
- 108,529 km · 16% of the Sun's radius
- Density
- 50,516 kg/m³ · 51× water
- Spectral type
- M5V (red dwarf; variable HH Andromedae)
Composition
- By mass
- A cool red dwarf about 14% of the Sun's mass, radiating well under 1% of the Sun's light. It is a mild flare and spotted (BY Draconis-type) variable.
Temperature
- Surface
- 2,799 K (2526 °C)
Radiation & temperature
- Luminosity
- 6.89 × 10²³ W · 0.0018 L☉
- Surface temperature
- 2,799 K (2526 °C)
- Peak wavelength
- 1035 nm · near-infrared (mostly invisible to the eye)
Discovery & history
- Discovered
- January 1, 1926
- By
- Frank Elmore Ross
- Name
- Named for the American astronomer Frank Elmore Ross and its catalogue number; its variable-star name is HH Andromedae.
Catalogued by Frank Elmore Ross in 1926 (entry 248) from his proper-motion survey. Voyager 2, launched in 1977, will pass within about 1.7 light-years of Ross 248 in roughly 40,000 years.
Images
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