Changes

The star was first discovered in 1916 by and then named after American astronomer E. E. Barnard, and like [[Proxima Centauri]] is too dim to be viewed by the unaided eye.  Barnard noticed in his observations, that the star has the largest known proper motion of all known stars.  This is due to the star's closeness to our own [[Solar System]] and actual travel speed through space<ref>http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1916AJ.....29..181B</ref>.  Barnard's Star is approaching our own system at the speed of 140 kilometers per second and will approach as close as 3.8 light years (making it the closest star) around 11,800 A.D. before receding.  

The star was first discovered in 1916 by and then named after American astronomer E. E. Barnard, and like [[Proxima Centauri]] is too dim to be viewed by the unaided eye.  Barnard noticed in his observations, that the star has the largest known proper motion of all known stars.  This is due to the star's closeness to our own [[Solar System]] and actual travel speed through space<ref>http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1916AJ.....29..181B</ref>.  Barnard's Star is approaching our own system at the speed of 140 kilometers per second and will approach as close as 3.8 light years (making it the closest star) around 11,800 A.D. before receding.  

Barnard's Star is classified as a [[red dwarf]] of type M4, with only 17 percent of Sol's mass, some 15 to 20 percent of its diameter, but only estimated to have .04% of the luminosity of our star.  If the Earth orbited Barnard's Star at the same distance as we orbit the sun, the star would be only 100 times more bright then the full moon<ref>http://www.solstation.com/stars/barnards.htm</ref>.   

Barnard's Star is classified as a spectral type M4.0Ve red dwarf, with only 17 percent of Sol's mass, some 15 to 20 percent of its diameter, but only estimated to have .04% of the luminosity of our star.  If the Earth orbited Barnard's Star at the same distance as we orbit the sun, the star would be only 100 times more bright then the full moon<ref>http://www.solstation.com/stars/barnards.htm</ref>.   

Scientists believe due to the star's low [[metallicity]] and high proper motion that Barnard's Star is an older [[Population II]] star that may be between 7 and 12 billion years old<ref>http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2005AAS...206.0904R</ref>.  Barnard's Star was thought to be inactive, but in 1998 a flare was observed, which scientists believed would be unlikely on such an old star.

Scientists believe due to the star's low [[metallicity]] and high proper motion that Barnard's Star is an older [[Population II]] star that may be between 7 and 12 billion years old<ref>http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2005AAS...206.0904R</ref>.  Barnard's Star was thought to be inactive, but in 1998 a flare was observed, which scientists believed would be unlikely on such an old star.