Gliese 445 (Gl 445 or AC +79 3888) is an M-type main sequence star in the northern part of the constellation Camelopardalis.
Gliese 445 is currently 17.1 light-years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.8. It is visible all night long from locations north of the Tropic of Cancer, but not to the naked eye.[1] Because the star is a red dwarf with a mass only a quarter to a third of that of the Sun, scientists question the ability of this system to support life.[1] Gliese 445 is also a known X-ray source.[2]
The Voyager 1 probe will pass within 1.6 light-years of Gliese 445 in about 40,000 years.[3]
While the Voyager probe moves through space towards a 1.6-light-year minimum distance from Gliese 445, the star is rapidly approaching the Sun. At the time the probe passes Gliese 445, the star will be about 1.059 parsecs (3.45 light-years) from the Sun,[4] but with less than half the brightness necessary to be seen with the naked eye.[1] At that time, Gliese 445 will be approximately tied with Ross 248 for being the closest star to the Sun (see List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs#Distant future and past encounters).