Each is calculated to be just 20 to 30% the mass of Earth and completes one full trip around the star in only a few days.

These findings have caught many people’s attention because they point to greater precision in detecting smaller, more elusive planets.

“It’s a really exciting find – Barnard’s Star is our cosmic neighbor, and yet we know so little about it,” said Ritvik Basant, Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago and first author on the study. “It’s signaling a breakthrough with the precision of these new instruments from previous generations.”