Wolf 359

0.001009 L ☉

Wolf 359 is a red dwarf in the constellation Leo. With a distance of about 7.8 light-years, it is the fifth closest star to our solar system. Nevertheless, Wolf 359 is not visible due to its low brightness to the naked eye. The star was discovered in 1918 by means of astrophotography by German astronomer Max Wolf and named as part of his published star catalog.

Description

Wolf 359 is one of the weakest luminous stars that are known to date. With around 10 percent of the solar mass, it is a borderline case between a brown and a red dwarf. His core temperature has barely been enough to start a nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium and from this to gain energy.

As an extreme red dwarf of spectral type M6 is the star shines bright red. Wolf 359 is prone to irregular eruptions in which its brightness for a short time greatly increases. This property is typical of many red dwarfs, so this type is also called a flare star. As a variable star Wolf 359 bears the name CN Leonis.

A hypothetical planet with liquid water would Wolf 359 in only 628,000 km distance circle (less than twice the distance between earth and moon ), the result would be tidally locked. A "Wolf - year " would therefore only take about eight hours.

Visual observation

Wolf 359 is quite easy to find just below the constellation Leo. For this, the striking red light, 5.8 likes bright star 56 Leonis serve as an orientation. Wolf 359 is 50 arc minutes north of it.

Wolf 359 is, however, so faint that it can only be seen in a larger instrument from 35 cm in diameter. In smaller instruments, visual observation is hardly possible.

Mention in the Science Fiction

• In the Star Trek universe Wolf 359 is the scene of a devastating defeat of the Federation against the Borg, to which in later episodes, series, movies and games is regularly referred more or less.
• In the computer game FreeSpace a Terran fleet is stationed at Wolf 359. A transfer to there is only mentioned in penalties for missions which have failed.
• In the novel Chindi by Jack McDevitt Wolf 359 is mentioned as a goal of the second interstellar journey of humanity.
• In the novel The collapse ( Volume 1 of the series The Nano Wars) by John Ringo a larger terraforming project will take place at Wolf 359.
• In the novel, The Red Mist (1979 ) from the science-fiction series about the figure of the Commander Perkins (Franz Schneider Verlag) is the world threatened by a red mist that transports using the dimension crusher from the eighth planet of the Sun Wolf 359 to Earth will.