astronomy

Gliese 880

Gliese 880 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 880 rather than just read about it. In short: Gliese 880 is a red dwarf star 22.4 light-years away in the northern constellation of Pegasus. No stellar companions to Gliese 880 have been discovered as of 2020.

Key takeaways

Gliese 880 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 880 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gliese 880 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gliese 880 is a red dwarf star 22.4 light-years away in the northern constellation of Pegasus. No stellar companions to Gliese 880 have been discovered as of 2020.

Search for planets In June 2019, a candidate planet detected by radial velocity in orbit around Gliese 880 was reported in a preprint. This would have a minimum mass about 8.5 times that of Earth and orbit with a period of 39.4 days, which is close to the star's rotation period of 37.5 days. A 2024 study did not detect the exact period of 39.4 days, but detected two radial velocity signals at 37.2 and 40.5 days, which correspond to the stellar rotation and an alias of it. Presumably, the previously claimed planet candidate is an artifact of stellar activity.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gliese 880

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gliese 880 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 880 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 880 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 880

In research: Gliese 880 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 880 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 880 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Durchmusterung objects, Gliese and GJ objects, Henry Draper Catalogue objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gliese 880 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 880 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gliese 880 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 880 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gliese 880 in simple terms?

Gliese 880 is a red dwarf star 22.4 light-years away in the northern constellation of Pegasus. No stellar companions to Gliese 880 have been discovered as of 2020.

Why does Gliese 880 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 880?

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 880.