Luhman 16 facts for kids
![Wise1049-5319 Multi-Color (No Marker)](/images/thumb/f/f1/Wise1049-5319_Multi-Color_%28No_Marker%29.png/250px-Wise1049-5319_Multi-Color_%28No_Marker%29.png)
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.
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Luhman 16 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.