description Gliese 229 Overview
Gliese 229 is a cool red-dwarf star in the constellation Lepus, approximately 18 light-years from the Sun. Its faint companion, Gliese 229 B, was directly imaged in 1995 and became the first confirmed brown dwarf seen orbiting a normal star; later observations showed that the companion is itself a close pair of brown dwarfs, making the system relevant to research on substellar atmospheres and binary formation.
help Gliese 229 FAQ
Where is Gliese 229 located?
Gliese 229 is a cool red dwarf in the constellation Lepus, roughly 18 light-years from Earth. Its faint companion is designated Gliese 229 B.
Why is Gliese 229 B historically important?
Gliese 229 B was directly imaged and confirmed as a brown dwarf in 1995. It became the first confirmed brown dwarf seen orbiting a normal star.
How is Gliese 229 B different from a red dwarf star?
A brown dwarf does not have enough mass to sustain ordinary hydrogen fusion in its core. Gliese 229 B is therefore much dimmer and cooler than the red dwarf Gliese 229 that it orbits.
What did later observations reveal about Gliese 229 B?
Observations reported in 2024 showed that the object previously treated as Gliese 229 B is itself a close pair of brown dwarfs. The two components orbit one another in roughly 12 days while the pair orbits Gliese 229.
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