Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994xmm..pres...47.&link_type=abstract
XMM Press Release PR 47-1994
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Located 25 light years away, in the constellation Hercules, G1623b is the smaller component of a double star system, where the separation between the two members is only twice the distance between Earth and the Sun (approximately 300 million Km). The small star completes one orbit about its larger companion every four years.
G1623b was first detected, indirectly, from previous astrometric observations that measured the wobble of the primary star due to the gravitational pull of its smaller, invisible companion. However the star is too dim and too close to its companion star to be seen by ground-based telescopes. Hubble's view is sharp enough to separate the small star from its companion.
The new Hubble observations will allow astronomers to measure the intrinsic brightness and mass of G1623b. This will lead to a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the smallest stars currently known. Red dwarf stars were once thought to be the most abundant stars in the Galaxy. However, recent Hubble observations show that these low mass stars are surprisingly rare
(*)The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperatio between NASA and ESA (the European Space Agency).
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