Consequently, even though it is one of the closest stars to Earth, such that its light takes only six years to get here, it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Now, four small planets have been found orbiting the star.

Considered a solitary star for its lack of stellar companions, Barnard's Star is notoriously lonely—signs of any exoplanets in its orbit have come and gone without reliable evidence. But today, astronomers know the star is in good company.

Barnard’s Star is our cosmic neighbor, and yet we know so little about it,” said Ritvik Basant, Ph.D student at the University of Chicago

Exciting new research suggests there are four miniature planets orbiting Barnard’s Star, each thought to be just 20 to 30% the mass of Earth.

Astronomers have revealed new evidence that there are not just one but four tiny planets circling around Barnard's Star, the second-nearest star system to Earth.The four planets, each only about 20 to 30% the mass of Earth,