Planet orbiting a red dwarf star (artist's impression)

This artist's concept shows a planet orbiting a red dwarf star. These stars are much smaller, fainter and cooler than the Sun, and therefore consume their supply of nuclear fuel far slower. This means they are remarkably long-lived: unlike Sun-like stars which last around 10 billion years, red dwarfs have an expected lifespan many times longer than the current age of the Universe. This means astronomers have never observed one die.