List of stars closer than 20 light years
Science Fiction writers often need the name of a nearby star. This list includes most of the stars within 20 light years of Sol. If you are looking for sun type stars look for Spectral type G with an absolute magnitude of 3 to 5.
Many stars are actually double stars, so both stars are listed with the same name. Sometimes a little star orbits a big star like a planet, these might be super Jupiters with enough mass to start nuclear fussion. Sometimes they are just two stars with a large distance between them that lazily circle around each other. Sometimes they are stars that met in space and somehow wound up together.
The brighter the star, the smaller it’s magnitude. The brightest stars have negative magnitudes. Sirius – the dog star – is close by and is very bright. As seen from the earth it has an apparent magnitude of -1.46 making it on of the brightest things in the sky. Most of these stars are not as bright as the sun. They are (on the average) between 4 and 5 light years apart.
Star Name | Spectral Type | Apparent Magnitude | Absolute Magnitude | Distance in Light Years |
Proxima Centauri | M5.5 | 11.01 | 15.45 | 4.22 |
Alpha Centauri | G2 | -0.01 | 4.34 | 4.40 |
Alpha Centauri | K0 | 1.35 | 5.70 | 4.40 |
Barnard’s Star | M5 | 9.54 | 13.24 | 5.94 |
Wolf 359 | M6 | 13.45 | 16.56 | 7.80 |
Lalande 21185 | M2 | 7.49 | 10.46 | 8.31 |
Sirius | A1 | -1.44 | 1.45 | 8.60 |
Sirius | DA2 | 8.44 | 11.33 | 8.60 |
L 726-8 | M5.5 | 12.41 | 15.27 | 8.73 |
L 726-8 | M5.5 | 13.25 | 16.11 | 8.73 |
Ross 154 | M4.5 | 10.37 | 13.00 | 9.69 |
Ross 248 | M6 | 12.29 | 14.79 | 10.33 |
Epsilon Eridani | K2 | 3.72 | 6.18 | 10.50 |
Lacaille 9352 | M2 | 7.35 | 9.76 | 10.73 |
Ross 128 | M4.5 | 11.12 | 13.50 | 10.89 |
L 789-6 | M5.5 | 13.3 | 15.6 | 11.08 |
L 789-6 | M5 | 13.3 | 15.6 | 11.08 |
L 789-6 | M7 | 14.0 | 16.3 | 11.08 |
Procyon | F5 | 0.40 | 2.68 | 11.41 |
Procyon | DA | 10.7 | 13.0 | 11.41 |
61 Cygni | K5 | 5.20 | 7.49 | 11.43 |
61 Cygni | K7 | 6.05 | 8.33 | 11.43 |
Struve 2398 | M4 | 8.94 | 11.18 | 11.64 |
Struve 2398 | M5 | 9.70 | 11.97 | 11.64 |
Groombridge 34 | M2 | 8.09 | 10.33 | 11.64 |
Groombridge 34 | M6 | 11.06 | 13.30 | 11.64 |
G51-15 | M6.5 | 14.81 | 17.01 | 11.83 |
Epsilon Indi | K4 | 4.69 | 6.89 | 11.83 |
Tau Ceti | G8 | 3.49 | 5.68 | 11.90 |
L 372-58 | M5.5 | 13.01 | 15.17 | 12.06 |
L 725-32 | M5 | 12.10 | 14.25 | 12.12 |
Luyten’s Star | M3.5 | 9.84 | 11.94 | 12.39 |
Kapteyn’s Star | M1 | 8.86 | 10.89 | 12.78 |
Lacaille 8760 | M0 | 6.69 | 8.71 | 12.87 |
Kruger 60 | M3 | 9.85 | 11.85 | 13.07 |
Kruger 60 | M6 | 11.3 | 13.3 | 13.07 |
Ross 614 | M4.5 | 11.12 | 13.05 | 13.43 |
Ross 614 | M7 | 14.6 | 16.5 | 13.43 |
Wolf 1061 | M3.5 | 10.10 | 11.95 | 13.91 |
Wolf 424 | M5.5 | 13.04 | 14.87 | 14.05 |
Wolf 424 | M7 | 13.3 | 15.1 | 14.05 |
CD-37 15492 | M4 | 8.56 | 10.36 | 14.22 |
van Maanen’s Star | DZ7 | 12.37 | 14.15 | 14.37 |
L 1159-16 | M8 | 12.28 | 14.03 | 14.57 |
L 143-23 | M5.5 | 13.92 | 15.66 | 14.6 |
DENIS 1048-39 | M9 | 17 | 19 | 14.7 |
LP 731-58 | M6.5 | 15.60 | 17.32 | 14.76 |
BD+68 946 | M3.5 | 9.15 | 10.87 | 14.77 |
CD-46 11540 | M3 | 9.38 | 11.10 | 14.80 |
L 145-141 | DQ6 | 11.50 | 13.18 | 15.07 |
G158-27 | M5.5 | 13.75 | 15.39 | 15.33 |
Ross 780 | M5 | 10.16 | 11.80 | 15.34 |
G208-44 | M5.5 | 13.41 | 15.04 | 15.39 |
G208-44 | M6 | 14.01 | 15.64 | 15.39 |
G208-44 | M8 | 16.66 | 18.29 | 15.39 |
Lalande 21258 | M2 | 8.82 | 10.40 | 15.76 |
Lalande 21258 | M6 | 14.40 | 15.78 | 15.76 |
Groombridge 1618 | K7 | 6.60 | 8.16 | 15.89 |
BD+20 2465 | M4.5 | 9.40 | 10.95 | 16.00 |
L 354-89 | M1 | 8.66 | 10.19 | 16.10 |
LP 944-20 | L | – | – | 16.19 |
DENIS 0255-47 | L | – | – | 16.3 |
CD-44 11909 | M3.5 | 10.94 | 12.43 | 16.45 |
Omicron^2 Eridani | K1 | 4.43 | 5.92 | 16.45 |
Omicron^2 Eridani | DA4 | 9.52 | 11.01 | 16.45 |
Omicron^2 Eridani | M4.5 | 11.17 | 12.66 | 16.45 |
BD+43 4305 | M4.5 | 10.29 | 11.77 | 16.47 |
70 Ophiuchi | K0 | 4.03 | 5.50 | 16.59 |
70 Ophiuchi | K5 | 6.00 | 7.47 | 16.59 |
Altair | A7 | 0.76 | 2.20 | 16.77 |
G9-38 | M5.5 | 14.06 | 15.47 | 17.05 |
G9-38 | M5.5 | 14.92 | 16.33 | 17.05 |
L 722-22 | M4 | 12.03 | 13.41 | 17.3 |
L 722-22 | M6 | 14.3 | 15.7 | 17.3 |
G99-49 | M4 | 11.33 | 12.68 | 17.51 |
G254-29 | M4 | 10.80 | 12.14 | 17.59 |
Lalande 25372 | M4 | 8.46 | 9.79 | 17.71 |
LP 656-38 | M3.5 | 12.15 | 13.46 | 17.85 |
LP 816-60 | M5 | 11.41 | 12.71 | 17.91 |
Stein 2051 | M4 | 11.08 | 12.37 | 17.98 |
Stein 2051 | DC5 | 12.44 | 13.73 | 17.98 |
Wolf 294 | M4 | 9.89 | 11.18 | 17.99 |
Wolf 1453 | M1.5 | 7.97 | 9.19 | 18.56 |
L 347-14 | M4.5 | 12.23 | 13.45 | 18.6 |
Sigma Draconis | K0 | 4.67 | 5.87 | 18.81 |
L 668-21 | M1 | 8.15 | 9.34 | 18.83 |
L 668-21 | T | – | – | 18.83 |
Ross 47 | M4 | 11.56 | 12.75 | 18.88 |
L 205-128 | M3.5 | 10.75 | 11.93 | 18.95 |
Wolf 1055 | M3.5 | 9.12 | 10.28 | 19.16 |
Wolf 1055 | M8 | 17.52 | 18.68 | 19.16 |
L 674-15 | M4 | 12.1 | 13.3 | 19.2 |
Lalande 27173 | K5 | 5.75 | 6.89 | 19.26 |
Lalande 27173 | M1 | 8.07 | 9.21 | 19.26 |
Lalande 27173 | M3 | 10.5 | 11.6 | 19.26 |
Lalande 27173 | T | – | – | 19.26 |
Ross 882 | M4.5 | 11.19 | 12.32 | 19.35 |
CD-40 9712 | M3 | 9.31 | 10.44 | 19.35 |
Eta Cassiopeiae | G0 | 3.46 | 4.59 | 19.42 |
Eta Cassiopeiae | K7 | 7.51 | 8.64 | 19.42 |
Lalande 46650 | M2 | 8.98 | 10.10 | 19.47 |
36 Ophiuchi | K1 | 5.07 | 6.18 | 19.52 |
36 Ophiuchi | K1 | 5.11 | 6.23 | 19.52 |
36 Ophiuchi | K5 | 6.33 | 7.45 | 19.47 |
CD-36 13940 | K3 | 5.32 | 6.41 | 19.74 |
CD-36 13940 | M3.5 | 11.5 | 12.6 | 19.74 |
82 Eridani | G5 | 4.26 | 5.35 | 19.77 |
Delta Pavonis | G8 | 3.55 | 4.62 | 19.92 |
Wolf 1481 | M3 | 11.32 | 12.39 | 19.95 |