Luyten 726-8 A/UV Ceti

Star type
g A: M5.6 Ve (cool and dim, main sequence red dwarf)
g B: M6.0 Ve (main sequence red dwarf star)

Distance from Earth
g 8.554 ly

Star Service No.
g NA

Age
g NA

Diameter/Mass/Temp
(times Sol)
g A: 10.5%; 14%; NA
g B: 10%; 14%; 2.8K

Brightness (xSol)
g A: Less than 6/100,000th; flare star (but less dramatic in its brightness variations than its binary companion)
g B: Less than 4/100,000th; an extreme example of a flare star that can boost its brightness by five times in less than a minute, then fall somewhat slower back down to normal luminosity within two or three minutes before flaring suddenly again after several hours. In 1952, was observed flaring to 75 times its normal brightness in only 20 seconds

Metallicity
g NA

Comparison to Sol
g NA

Picture of star
g NA

Star system features
g NA

Known planets
g A: Unconfirmed detection of two planetary candidates, one with mass one-tenth more than Jupiter's and a second with about 40 percent more. A recent search for faint companions using Hubble Space Telescope, however, found no supporting evidence for a large Jupiter or brown dwarf sized object, although the observed positions of Luyten 726-8 AB differed from published orbital elements
g B: None detected

Habitable zone
g A: Around 0.0071 AUs based on visible light alone, with a "year" of less than 17 hours - 0.04 to 0.07 AUs when accounting for infrared radiation; rotation of planet would probably be tidally locked
g B: Around 0.0071 AUs based on visible light alone, with a "year" of less than 17 hours - 0.04 to 0.07 AUs when accounting for infrared radiation; rotation of planet would probably be tidally locked; extreme example of a flare star

Orbital map
g Separated "on average" by only about 5.5 AUs (of a semi-major axis) in a highly elliptical orbit (e= 0.62), at an inclination of 127.3° degrees. Based on orbital data that generates the mass estimates cited previously, the two stars may swing between 2.1 AUs and 8.8 AUs apart in an orbital period lasting 26.5 years
g See map
View from star
g NA

Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Tau Ceti, 3.2 ly
g YZ Ceti, 3.6 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, 5.1 ly
g Lacaille 9352, 6.7 ly
g LHS 1565, 7.1 ly
g Hip 15689 7.4 ly
g Van Maanen's Star, 7.6 ly
g EZ Aquarii 3, 7.7 ly
g Teegarden's Star, 8 ly
g Cincinnati, 8.1 ly
g G 158-27, 8.4 ly
g L 1159-16, 8.7ly
g Sol, 8.7 ly
g Epsilon Indi, 10 ly

Map locating star system
g See map

Location in Earth sky
g Southwestern part of Constellation Cetus, the Whale northeast of Deneb Kaitos or Diphda (Beta Ceti). However, this binary system of red dwarf stars is too faint to be seen with naked eye

Other names
g A: BL Ceti
g A: Gl 65 A
g A: G 272-61
g A: LHS 9
g A: LDS 868
g B: UV Ceti
g B: Luyten's Flare Star
g B: Gl 65 B
g B: LHS 10
g B: L 726-008
g B: LDS 838

Sci-fi mentions
g Location of scenes in Alistair Reynold's novella "Galactic North"

Get your SF book manuscript edited


.