astronomy

Gliese 445

Gliese 445 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gliese 445 rather than just read about it. In short: Gliese 445 (Gl 445 or AC +79 3888) is an M-type main sequence star in the northern part of the northern circumpolar constellation of Camelopardalis. Location Gliese 445 is currently 17.1 light-years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.8.

Key takeaways

Gliese 445 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gliese 445 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gliese 445 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gliese 445 (Gl 445 or AC +79 3888) is an M-type main sequence star in the northern part of the northern circumpolar constellation of Camelopardalis.

Location

Gliese 445 is currently 17.1 light-years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.8. It is visible all night long from locations north of the Tropic of Cancer, but not to the naked eye. Because the star is a red dwarf with a mass only a quarter to a third of that of the Sun, scientists question the ability of this system to support life. Gliese 445 is also a known X-ray source. The Voyager 1 probe will pass within 1.6 light-years of Gliese 445 in about 40,000 years.

Solar encounter While the Voyager probe moves through space towards a 1.6-light-year minimum distance from Gliese 445, the star is rapidly approaching the Sun. At the time the probe passes Gliese 445, the star will be about 1.059 parsecs (3.45 light-years) from the Sun, but with less than half the brightness necessary to be seen with the naked eye. At that time, Gliese 445 will be approximately tied with Ross 248 for being the closest star to the Sun (see List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs#Distant future and past encounters).

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gliese 445

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gliese 445 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gliese 445 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gliese 445 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gliese 445

In research: Gliese 445 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gliese 445 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gliese 445 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Camelopardalis, Emission-line stars, Gliese and GJ objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gliese 445 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gliese 445 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gliese 445 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gliese 445 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gliese 445 in simple terms?

Gliese 445 (Gl 445 or AC +79 3888) is an M-type main sequence star in the northern part of the northern circumpolar constellation of Camelopardalis. Location Gliese 445 is currently 17.1 light-years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.8.

Why does Gliese 445 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gliese 445?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gliese 445.