This figure shows a two-dimensional map of three-dimensional nearby space. The nearest 25 star systems are shown at their relative distances from the Sun, to a horizon of 4.0 parsecs, or 13.1 light years. In total, there are 36 stars in this sample, including 16 single stars, 7 binary star systems, and 2 triple star systems. The systems are plotted so that right ascension zero hours (RA = 0, toward the constellation Aries) is to the right, and the RA increases counterclockwise (RA = 6 at the top, RA = 12 to the left, RA = 18 to the bottom). Different colors and sizes represent different types of stars, from small red dwarfs like Barnard's Star to larger stars like the yellow Sun and blue-white Sirius. Tiny white dwarf companions to Sirius and Procyon are the remnant cores of more massive stars that have already evolved through the red giant phase and shed their outer layers. The nearest star to the Sun is Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf 4.3 light years away. It is the smallest component in the alpha Centauri system which is, in fact, a triple star system. In 1997, the RECONS team discovered the 20th nearest star, GJ 1061, in the southern constellation Horologium, the Pendulum Clock. NOTE: For clarity, the points representing the stars have been enlarged relative to the distances between them. In fact, at the size of the Sun shown (radius 1/16 of an inch), Proxima Centauri would be 57 miles away.