Gliese 65

Gliese 65, also known as Luyten 726-8, is a binary star system located just 8.8 light-years from Earth. It is one of our nearest stellar neighbors, found in the constellation Cetus. This system consists of two stars that orbit each other closely.

Both stars in the Gliese 65 system are flare stars, which means they can suddenly increase in brightness. These changes happen because of magnetic activity on their surfaces. The two stars have variable star designations: BL Ceti and UV Ceti.

Studying systems like Gliese 65 helps scientists understand how stars behave, especially those that are similar to our Sun. Because it is so close, Gliese 65 provides valuable information about the lives of small, cool stars and their potential to support planetary systems.

Star system

The star system Gliese 65 was discovered in 1948 by Willem Jacob Luyten while he was making a list of stars that move quickly across the sky. It is one of the closest star systems to Earth, located about 8.6 light-years away in the constellation Cetus. This system has two stars that orbit each other every 26.5 years.

Both stars in Gliese 65 change in brightness and are known as flare stars. One star is called BL Ceti, and the other is called UV Ceti. UV Ceti is famous for its big and quick changes in brightness, which is why stars like it are called UV Ceti type variables. These stars are typical examples of their kind and help scientists understand more about stars.

Candidate planet

In 2024, scientists found hints of a planet in the Gliese 65 system using special tools at the Very Large Telescope. If this planet really exists, it would take about 156 days to go around one of the stars. They think it would be about seven times the size of Earth and have a mass similar to 40 times that of Earth.