astronomy

Gliese 832

Gliese 832 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 832 rather than just read about it. In short: Gliese 832 (Gl 832 or GJ 832) is a red dwarf star of spectral type M2V in the southern constellation Grus. The apparent visual magnitude of 8.66 means that it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye.

Key takeaways

Gliese 832 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 832 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gliese 832 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gliese 832 (Gl 832 or GJ 832) is a red dwarf star of spectral type M2V in the southern constellation Grus. The apparent visual magnitude of 8.66 means that it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. It is located relatively close to the Sun, at a distance of 16.2 light-years and has a high proper motion of 818.16 milliarcseconds per year. Gliese 832 has just under half the mass and radius of the Sun. Its estimated rotation period is a relatively leisurely 46 days. The star is roughly 6 billion years old. This star achieved perihelion some 52,920 years ago when it came within an estimated 15.71 ly (4.817 pc) of the Sun. Gliese 832 emits X-rays. Despite the strong flare activity, Gliese 832 is producing on average less ionizing radiation than the Sun. Only at extremely short radiation wavelengths (<50nm) does its radiation intensity rise above the level of the quiet Sun, but does not reach levels typical for the active Sun.

Planetary system Gliese 832 hosts one known planet, with a second planet having been refuted in 2022. No additional planets were found as of 2024.

Gliese 832 b

In September 2008, it was announced that a Jupiter-like planet, designated Gliese 832 b, had been detected in a long-period, near-circular orbit around this star, with a false alarm probability of a negligible 0.05%. It would induce an astrometric perturbation on its star of at least 0.95 milliarcseconds and is thus a good candidate for being detected by astrometric observations. Despite its relatively large angular distance, direct imaging is problematic due to the star–planet contrast. The planet was detected astrometrically by two different 2023 studies and one 2025 study, determining two plausible inclinations and revealing a true mass close to the mass of Jupiter.

Gliese 832 c Gliese 832 c was the second reported planet in the Gliese 832 system, believed to be of super-Earth mass (minimum mass about 5 times the mass of Earth). It was announced to orbit in the optimistic habitable zone but outside the conservative habitable zone of its parent star. The planet Gliese 832 c was believed to be in, or very close to, the right distance from its sun to allow liquid water to exist on its surface. However, doubts were raised about the existence of planet c by a 2015 study, which found that its orbital period is close to the stellar rotation period. The existence of the planet was refuted in 2022, when a study found that the radial velocity signal shows characteristics of a signal originating from stellar activity, and not from a planet.

Limits on additional planets A 2016 study found that additional planets are possible in the region between the two planets thought to exist at the time, in particular planets less than 15 Earth masses orbiting between 0.25-2.0 AU. As of 2024, no additional planets had been found and Gliese 832 b remains the only known planet in the system. The radial velocity data sets an upper limit of 1.5 Earth masses on any undetected planet with a period up to 100 days.

Search for cometary disc If this system has a comet disc, it is not "brighter than the fractional dust luminosity 10−5" according to a 2012 Herschel study.

See also List of nearest stars List of extrasolar planets

Notes

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gliese 832

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gliese 832 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 832 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 832 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 832

In research: Gliese 832 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 832 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 832 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical X-ray sources, Durchmusterung objects, Gliese 832, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gliese 832 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 832 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gliese 832 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 832 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gliese 832 in simple terms?

Why does Gliese 832 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 832?

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 832.