Twinkle, twinkle, littlest star

THE smallest recorded star, about the size of Saturn, has been found by scientists.

It is about 600 light years away in our own Milky Way galaxy.

Astronomers think this is as small as stars can get, as it is just big enough for fusion, which powers all stars, to happen. Named EBLM J0555-57Ab, it orbits a second much larger star.

It is 2,000 to 3,000 times fainter than our own Sun, according to the study.

Alexander von Boetticher, from Cambridge University, said: “It’s like looking at a candle beside a lighthouse.”