In a groundbreaking discovery, astrophysicists have uncovered not one, but two brown dwarfs locked in a close orbit around a red dwarf star. These celestial objects, situated just 19 light-years from our solar system in the constellation Lepus, offer new insights into the complex processes of star formation.
Previously, Gliese 229B was identified as a single brown dwarf, a mysterious entity too small to ignite nuclear fusion like a star but too massive to qualify as a planet. New studies utilizing advanced telescopes in Chile and Hawaii have revealed that Gliese 229B is, in fact, a binary system comprising Gliese 229Ba and Gliese 229Bb, with masses 38 and 34 times that of Jupiter, respectively.
These binary brown dwarfs orbit each other every 12 days, maintaining a distance only 16 times that between Earth and the Moon. Such tightly bound systems are rare, with only one other known pair exhibiting a similar closeness.
According to Sam Whitebook, a graduate student at Caltech, brown dwarfs bridge the gap between planets and stars. While they can burn deuterium, a heavy form of hydrogen, they lack the mass needed for sustained hydrogen fusion, causing them to emit a dim glow as they cool over time.
The discovery challenges existing models of brown dwarf formation and highlights the intricate dynamics of celestial bodies. \"This finding shows us that brown dwarfs can come in configurations we were not expecting,\" said astronomer Jerry Xuan from Caltech. \"It underscores the complexity of the star formation process and the surprises the universe holds.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
