Gliese 752

Gliese 752 is a binary star system located in the Aquila constellation. It is relatively close to Earth, lying about 19.3 light-years (5.9 parsecs) away. This system is made up of two stars, both belonging to the M-type category, which are cooler and smaller than our Sun.

The primary star in the system is called Gliese (GJ) 752 A, and it has a magnitude of 9, making it too faint to see without a telescope. The secondary star, Gliese (GJ) 752 B, is even dimmer, with a magnitude of 17, and is often known as VB 10. These two stars form a binary star system, meaning they orbit around a common center of mass, and they are separated by about 74 arc seconds, which equals roughly 434 times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

This system is notable for its high proper motion, moving across the sky at a rate of about 1 arc second each year. In addition, Gliese 752 is unusually close to the bright star Altair, only 3.85 light years away. From the Gliese 752 system, Altair would appear very bright in the sky, shining with an apparent magnitude of around −2.43, similar to how bright Jupiter looks from Earth. The name Gliese 752 comes from the Catalogue of Nearby Stars, created by the German astronomer Wilhelm Gliese in 1969.

Gliese 752 A characteristics

The primary star, known as Wolf 1055, is a red dwarf star. It is smaller and less massive than our Sun and is cooler in temperature. This star was first noticed by the astronomer Max Wolf, who used a special camera called astrophotography to study stars that move quickly across the sky. Wolf added this star to his list of stars in 1919. The star can change in brightness and sometimes has sudden bursts of energy called flare events.

Planetary system

In August 2018, scientists using the CARMENES spectrograph at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain found a planet around the larger star in the Gliese 752 system, named HD 180617 (Gliese 752 A). This planet has a minimum mass similar to the planet Neptune and orbits in a region where liquid water could exist.

Gliese 752 B characteristics

Main article: VB 10

Gliese 752 was discovered to be a binary star system in 1944 when a small, dim star was found orbiting the main star. This companion star, named VB 10, is very small and has very low mass—just enough to be classified as a star. It is a cool red dwarf star, meaning it gives off very little light.

VB 10 is also a variable star, which means its brightness changes from time to time. In 2009, scientists thought they found a planet around VB 10, but later checks did not confirm this discovery.

Magnetic field

In 1994, the Hubble Space Telescope observed a solar flare on Gliese 752 B. This finding surprised astronomers because it showed that the star has a strong magnetic field. Previously, it was thought that small red stars like this did not have significant magnetic fields. The discovery of solar flares suggests that these stars can create magnetic fields in ways that are not yet fully understood.