Astronomers discover dwarf binary star system invisible to the human eye
Using the infrared instrument on the Keck telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have discovered a dwarf binary star system invisible to the human eye, with the tightest orbit ever seen.
The two stars are so close that it takes them less than one Earth day to revolve around each other; each star’s “year” lasts just 17 hours.
The newly discovered system, named LP 413-53AB, is composed of a pair of ultracool dwarfs, a class of very low-mass stars that are so cool that they emit their light primarily in the infrared, making them completely invisible to the human eye. They are nonetheless one of the most common types of stars in the universe.
Previously, astronomers had only detected three short-period ultracool dwarf binary systems, all of which are relatively young — up to 40 million years old. LP 413-53AB is estimated to be billions of years old — similar in age to our Sun — but has an orbital period that is about four times shorter than all the ultracool dwarf binaries discovered so far.
The two stars’ mutual orbit generally places them only about 600,000 miles apart. For comparison, the Moon orbits the Earth at a distance of 240,000 miles.
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Using the infrared instrument on the Keck telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have discovered a dwarf binary star system invisible to the human eye, with the tightest orbit ever seen.
The two stars are so close that it takes them less than one Earth day to revolve around each other; each star’s “year” lasts just 17 hours.
The newly discovered system, named LP 413-53AB, is composed of a pair of ultracool dwarfs, a class of very low-mass stars that are so cool that they emit their light primarily in the infrared, making them completely invisible to the human eye. They are nonetheless one of the most common types of stars in the universe.
Previously, astronomers had only detected three short-period ultracool dwarf binary systems, all of which are relatively young — up to 40 million years old. LP 413-53AB is estimated to be billions of years old — similar in age to our Sun — but has an orbital period that is about four times shorter than all the ultracool dwarf binaries discovered so far.
The two stars’ mutual orbit generally places them only about 600,000 miles apart. For comparison, the Moon orbits the Earth at a distance of 240,000 miles.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
They’re really hip – that’s how cool they are !
Red Dwarfs are everywhere.
And I remember learning that binaries are much more common than originally thought.
This is cool stuff.
“. . . they emit their light primarily in the infrared, making them completely invisible to the human eye. They are nonetheless one of the most common types of stars in the universe.”
One of the possible explanations for ‘dark matter’?