Gliese 65

Description

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 closest stars, found in the constellation Cetus. This system has two stars that move around each other very closely.

Both stars in Gliese 65 are called flare stars. This means they can suddenly become brighter. These changes happen because of magnetic activity on their surfaces. The two stars have special names: BL Ceti and UV Ceti.

Importance

Learning about systems like Gliese 65 helps scientists understand how stars behave. Because it is so close to us, Gliese 65 gives us useful information about small, cool stars and whether they might have planets.

Star system

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

Both stars in Gliese 65 change in brightness. They are called flare stars. One star is called BL Ceti. The other is called UV Ceti. UV Ceti is famous for its big and quick changes in brightness. Stars like it are called UV Ceti type variables. These stars help scientists learn more about stars.

Candidate planet

In 2024, scientists found hints of a planet in the Gliese 65 system. They used special tools at the Very Large Telescope. If the planet exists, it would take about 156 days to orbit one of the stars. They think it would be about seven times the size of Earth and 40 times more massive than Earth.