STELLAR is one of a host of cryptocurrencies springing up in the wake of Bitcoin's roaring popularity among amateur and professional investors.

But how much is it worth, how do you invest in it and how does it work?

1 The Stellar rocket logo. Stellar is a cryptocurrency which uses Lumens as its units

What is Stellar and what are Lumens?

Stellar describes itself as a "distributed, hybrid blockchain" allowing transfers of value "for a fraction of a cent".

Similar to Bitcoin, it can work as a decentralised currency whose value is not based on anything tangible - just the value that investors place on it.

The digital currency is based on Lumens - one Lumen is one unit of the currency and has the shorthand name XLM.

Where do you get Lumens?

Lumens are available for purchase on several known markets and exchanges.

But users should be aware that there is a risk in investing in digital currency as the prices can fluctuate wildly and could lose value completely.

They are also not insured by regulatory bodies.

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What is the value of a Lumen?

The trading price of a Lumen can be measured on several cryptocurrency monitors.

As of February 12, 2018, Lumen is priced at $0.38 (£0.27).

So far, more than 8billion Lumens have been distributed across the world.

What risks are involved with investing in cryptocurrencies?

The legal status of cryptocurrencies varies substantially from country to country and is still undefined or changing in many of them.

Anyone thinking of investing in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency should be very careful.

Their values are volatile, with the ability to plummet as quickly as they shoot up.

And investors are frequently targeted by hackers and other criminals who seek to steal their crypto-cash online.

Be especially careful if you are using direct, peer-to-peer platforms to sell and buy cryptocurrencies.

These are the equivalent of something like Gumtree – you never know who you might be dealing with.