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Luyten 726-8, also known as Gliese 65, is a
The star system was discovered in 1948 by 
Soon after the discovery of Luyten 726-8A, the companion star Luyten 726-8B was discovered. Like Luyten 726-8A, this star was also found to be variable and given the variable star designation UV Ceti. Although UV Ceti was not the first flare star discovered, it is the most prominent example of such a star, so similar flare stars are now classified as UV Ceti type variable stars. This star goes through fairly extreme changes of brightness: for instance, in 1952, its brightness increased by 75 times in only 20 seconds. UV Ceti is a red dwarf of
binary star system
A binary star is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved using a telescope as separate stars, in wh ...
that is one of Earth's nearest neighbors, at about 8.7 light years from Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
in the constellation Cetus
Cetus () is a constellation, sometimes called 'the whale' in English. The Cetus was a sea monster in Greek mythology which both Perseus and Heracles needed to slay. Cetus is in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellat ...
. The two component stars are both flare star
A flare star is a variable star that can undergo unpredictable dramatic increases in brightness for a few minutes. It is believed that the flares on flare stars are analogous to solar flares in that they are due to the magnetic energy stored in th ...
s with the variable star designations BL Ceti and UV Ceti.
Star system
The star system was discovered in 1948 by Willem Jacob Luyten
Willem Jacob Luyten (March 7, 1899 – November 21, 1994) was a Dutch-American astronomer.
"Willem Jacob Luyten", ''Marquis Who's Who'', 2006.
Life
Jacob Luyten was born in Semarang, Java, at the time part of the Dutch East Indies. His ...
in the course of compiling a catalog of stars of high proper motion; he noted its exceptionally high proper motion of 3.37 arc seconds annually and cataloged it as Luyten . The two stars are of nearly equal brightness, with visual magnitudes of 12.7 and 13.2 as seen from Earth. They orbit one another every 26.5 years. The distance between the two stars varies from . The Luyten 726-8 system is approximately from Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
's Solar System
The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...
, in the constellation Cetus
Cetus () is a constellation, sometimes called 'the whale' in English. The Cetus was a sea monster in Greek mythology which both Perseus and Heracles needed to slay. Cetus is in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellat ...
, and is thus the seventh-closest star system to Earth. Its own nearest neighbor is Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti, Latinized from τ Ceti, is a single star in the constellation Cetus that is spectrally similar to the Sun, although it has only about 78% of the Sun's mass. At a distance of just under from the Solar System, it is a rela ...
, away from it. If km/s then approximately 28,700 years ago Luyten 726-8 was at its minimal distance of 2.21 pc (7.2 ly) from the Sun.
Luyten-726-8A was later found to be a variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as e ...
and given the variable star designation BL Ceti. It is a red dwarf of spectral type
In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a prism or diffraction grating into a spectrum exhibiting the ...
M5.5V. It is also a flare star, and classified as a UV Ceti variable type, but it is not nearly as remarkable or extreme in its behavior as its companion star UV Ceti.
Soon after the discovery of Luyten 726-8A, the companion star Luyten 726-8B was discovered. Like Luyten 726-8A, this star was also found to be variable and given the variable star designation UV Ceti. Although UV Ceti was not the first flare star discovered, it is the most prominent example of such a star, so similar flare stars are now classified as UV Ceti type variable stars. This star goes through fairly extreme changes of brightness: for instance, in 1952, its brightness increased by 75 times in only 20 seconds. UV Ceti is a red dwarf of spectral type
In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a prism or diffraction grating into a spectrum exhibiting the ...
M6V.
Both stars are listed as spectral standard stars for their respective classes, being considered typical examples of the classes.
In approximately 31,500 years, Luyten 726-8 will have a close encounter with Epsilon Eridani
Epsilon Eridani ( Latinized from ε Eridani), formally named Ran, is a star in the southern constellation of Eridanus, at a declination of 9.46° south of the celestial equator. This allows it to be visible from most of Earth's surf ...
at the minimal distance of about 0.93 ly. Luyten 726-8 can penetrate a conjectured Oort cloud
The Oort cloud (), sometimes called the Öpik–Oort cloud, first described in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, is a theoretical concept of a cloud of predominantly icy planetesimals proposed to surround the Sun at distances ranging from ...
about Epsilon Eridani, which may gravitationally perturb
Perturbation or perturb may refer to:
* Perturbation theory, mathematical methods that give approximate solutions to problems that cannot be solved exactly
* Perturbation (geology), changes in the nature of alluvial deposits over time
* Perturbatio ...
some long-period comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...
s. The duration of mutual transit of two star systems within 1 ly from each other is about 4,600 years.
Luyten 726-8 is a possible member of the Hyades Stream.
See also
*List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs
This list covers all known stars, brown dwarfs, and sub-brown dwarfs within of the Sun. So far, 131 such objects have been found, of which only 22 are bright enough to be visible without a telescope. The visible light needs to reach or exce ...
References
Notes
Further reading
* *External links
* http://www.aavso.org/vstar/vsots/fall03.shtml * http://www.solstation.com/stars/luy726-8.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Luyten 726-8 M-type main-sequence stars BY Draconis variables Ceti, UV Binary stars Hyades Stream Local Bubble Cetus (constellation) 0065 Ceti, BL UV