Barnard’s Star System
Single red dwarf with four confirmed sub-Earth planets and one speculative habitable-zone world.
Overview
Barnard’s Star is an M4Ve red dwarf at 5.96 light-years from Sol, making it the second-closest star system. It is notable for its extremely high proper motion (10.36 arcsec/year).
2024–2025 ESPRESSO/MAROON-X radial velocity data confirmed four sub-Earth planets, all within 0.04 AU. These supersede the earlier Ribas 2018 candidate (Barnard b at 0.4 AU, now retracted). One speculative habitable-zone world (“Niven”) is added for gameplay at 0.07 AU.
All confirmed planets are tidally locked. No moons — sub-Earth worlds at these distances are too small to retain significant satellites.
Star
| Body | Spectral Type | Mass (kg) | Radius (m) | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard’s Star | M4Ve | 3.222×10²⁹ (0.162 M☉) | 1.364×10⁸ (0.196 R☉) | #FFA060 |
Rotation period: ~130 days. Low-activity red dwarf with occasional flares.
Confirmed Planets
Based on 2024–2025 ESPRESSO and MAROON-X data.
| Body | Parent | Mass (kg) | Radius (m) | Semi-major axis | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard d | Barnard’s Star | 1.569×10²⁴ (0.263 M⊕) | 3.5×10⁶ | 2.81×10⁹ m (0.0188 AU) | 2.34 d | Innermost, hot |
| Barnard b | Barnard’s Star | 1.784×10²⁴ (0.299 M⊕) | 3.8×10⁶ | 3.43×10⁹ m (0.0229 AU) | 3.15 d | First confirmed |
| Barnard c | Barnard’s Star | 2.0×10²⁴ (0.335 M⊕) | 4.0×10⁶ | 4.10×10⁹ m (0.0274 AU) | 4.12 d | Largest confirmed |
| Barnard e | Barnard’s Star | 1.153×10²⁴ (0.193 M⊕) | 3.2×10⁶ | 5.70×10⁹ m (0.0381 AU) | 6.74 d | Lightest RV exoplanet |
All confirmed planets orbit within 0.04 AU. Tidally locked with synchronous rotation periods matching their orbital periods.
Speculative Planets (Gameplay)
| Body | Parent | Mass (kg) | Radius (m) | Semi-major axis | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niven | Barnard’s Star | 3.6×10²⁴ (0.6 M⊕) | 5.5×10⁶ | 1.047×10¹⁰ m (0.07 AU) | ~18 d | Habitable zone, main destination |
Niven sits in the conservative habitable zone of Barnard’s Star (~0.05–0.1 AU). Named after science fiction author Larry Niven. Primary gameplay destination for the system.
Moons
None. Sub-Earth planets at these close orbital distances cannot retain significant natural satellites.
Stations
| Station | Location | Altitude | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard Station | Niven orbit | 300 km | Main hub, docking/refueling |
Jump Gates
| Gate | Location | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Barnard Gate | Barnard’s Star–Niven L4 | Connects to Sol Gate |
The jump gate is placed at the Barnard’s Star–Niven L4 Trojan point (60° ahead of Niven in its orbit). No moon is available for a traditional moon-based Lagrange point.
Spawning
Players who select Barnard’s Star at registration spawn near the default infrastructure in Niven orbit. The default spawn body is Niven.
Spawn Priority
- Barnard Gate (jump gate) — if present, spawn in co-orbit
- Barnard Station — if gate is missing, spawn near station
- Niven orbit — fallback: ~300 km altitude circular orbit
Default Infrastructure
The tick-engine spawns the following at game start:
| Entity | Type | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard Station | Station | Niven orbit, 300 km | Main hub |
| Barnard Gate | Jump Gate | Barnard’s Star–Niven L4 | Inter-system travel |
Galaxy View Position
- Direction from Sol (ICRF ecliptic): [-0.00955, -0.8825, 0.4703]
- Distance: 5.96 ly = 5.639×10¹⁶ m
- Position: [-5.382×10¹⁴, -4.975×10¹⁶, 2.660×10¹⁶] m