'Sub-Earth' exoplanet discovered around nearest single star to solar system
Image Credit: newsbytes
Astronomers have discovering a planet that orbits Barnard's star, the closest single star to our solar system. The exoplanet, called Barnard b, is categorized as a "sub-Earth" because its mass is about half that of Venus. It completes an orbit around its red dwarf parent star in just over three Earth days. This quick orbit is due to its closeness to Barnard's star — just 2.8 million kilometers away or 5% of the distance between the Sun and Mercury.