astronomy

Gliese 877

Gliese 877 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 877 rather than just read about it. In short: Gliese 877 (GJ 877 / HIP 113229 / LHS 531) is a red dwarf star located in the southern constellation of Octans, near the boundary with Indus. At a distance of 28.04 light-years (8.60 parsecs), it is the nearest star in Octans.

Key takeaways

Gliese 877 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 877 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gliese 877 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gliese 877 (GJ 877 / HIP 113229 / LHS 531) is a red dwarf star located in the southern constellation of Octans, near the boundary with Indus. At a distance of 28.04 light-years (8.60 parsecs), it is the nearest star in Octans. Known stars close to it are β Hydri and ζ Tucanae, respectively 4.5 and 6.2 light years. Gliese 877's bolometric luminosity is just 2.3% of the Sun's. It shines with an apparent magnitude of +10.22, so it cannot be seen with the naked eye. Nevertheless, it is considerably brighter than other red dwarfs, such as Proxima Centauri, the closest red dwarf to the Solar System; in particular, it is almost 14 times more luminous than Proxima. Of spectral type M3V, its effective temperature is 3390 K. It does not appear to be a variable star.

See also List of star systems within 25–30 light-years

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gliese 877

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gliese 877 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 877 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 877 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 877

In research: Gliese 877 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 877 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 877 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gliese and GJ objects, Hipparcos objects, M-type main-sequence stars, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gliese 877 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 877 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gliese 877 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 877 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gliese 877 in simple terms?

Why does Gliese 877 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 877?

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 877.