The 20 nearest stars

name visual magnitude* and spectral type distance in light-years** visual luminosity relative to the Sun

A*** B*** A*** B***

Proxima Centauri (Alpha Centauri) 11.01 M5.5 Ve 4.2 0.00005

Alpha Centauri (A and B only) 0.00 G2 V 1.35 K1 V 4.4 1.41 0.405

Barnard's star 9.54 M5 V 5.9 0.00039

Wolf 359 13.46 M6.5 Ve 7.8 0.00002

BD +36 2147 7.49 M2 V 8.3 0.00506

Sirius –1.44 A1 V 8.44 DA 2 8.6 20.2 0.00226

Luyten 726-8 12.56 M5.5 Ve 12.96 M5.5 Ve 8.7 0.00005 0.00004

Ross 154 10.37 M3.6 Ve 9.7 0.00049

Ross 248 12.27 M5.5 Ve 10.3 0.0001

Epsilon Eridani 3.72 K2 V 10.5 0.26

CD –36 15693 7.35 M2 V 10.7 0.00961

Ross 128 11.12 M4 V 10.9 0.00031

Luyten 789-6 12.32 M5 Ve 11.2 0.00011

61 Cygni 5.20 K5 V 6.05 K7 V 11.4 0.0784 0.0358

Procyon 0.40 F5 IV-V 10.70 DZ 11.4 6.54 0.0005

BD +59 1915 8.94 M3.4 V 11.5 0.00257

BD +43 44 8.09 M2 V 11.10 M4 V 11.6 0.00571 0.00036

Gliese 51-15 14.81 M6.5 Ve 11.8 0.00001

Epsilon Indi 4.69 K4 Ve 11.8 0.135

Tau Ceti 3.49 G8 V 11.9 0.413

*Negative magnitudes are brightest, and one magnitude difference corresponds to a difference in brightness of 2.5 times; e.g., a star of magnitude –1 is 10 times brighter than one of magnitude 1.5.

**One light-year equals about 9.46 trillion km.

***A and B are brighter and fainter components, respectively, of star.