Welcome, neighbor! Astronomers have discovered a star that may be among the very closest to us. Only 7 percent as heavy as our sun and only 0.3 percent as bright, the star lies an estimated 7.8 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Aries. By comparison, Barnard’s star resides 6 light-years away, and our nearest neighbor, at a distance of 4 light years, is the system of three stars collectively known as Alpha Centauri.