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Graphic of Number of Stars vs. Spectral Type within 32 light-years of Earth

This diagram shows the various stellar populations within 32 light-years of Earth as measured by the RECONS survey. The largest population consists of red dwarfs, but the population of slightly lower mass brown dwarfs drops off precipitously. This is known as the "brown dwarf desert."
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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov