At that time, Lalande 21185 will lie only 4.65 light-years away. As you’d expect for a red dwarf, Lalande 21185 is a tiny star. Its diameter and mass are only 39 percent that of our Sun’s.

Professor W. H. Pickering, of the University Observatory, has been awarded the Lalande prize by the academy of Science in Paris. This prize is for the discovery of the ninth and tenth satellites ...