Luhman 16

The Luhman 16 binary brown dwarf is the yellow disc at the center of this WISE image. The two individual stars are seen as one here.

Luhman 16 is a binary brown dwarf in the southern constellation Vela at 6.6 light-years from the Sun. It is also known as WISE 1049-5319.

These are the nearest known brown dwarfs to the Solar System, and the closest system discovered since Barnard's Star in 1916.

The primary has a stellar classification of L8 ± 1, and the secondary is probably near the L/T transition. The pair orbit each other at a distance of about 3 AU with an orbital period of about 25 years.

Luhman 16 Media

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  Two Brown Dwarfs in Our Backyard

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  Luhman 16 is the yellow disc at the center of this WISE image. The individual brown dwarfs are not resolved.

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  Luhman 16A and B orbit each other at a distance of only 3.5 AU.

• Surface map of Luhman 16B recreated from VLT observations

• Artist's impression of Luhman 16B based on the VLT observations

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  Luhman 16 with VLT's MUSE instrument in visible light.

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  High-speed winds form bands parallel to the equators of Luhman 16 AB.