Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarvamundo
Thanks Ron! Interesting.
Just wondering, did they actually detect 2 objects? or by them saying " The object must have"... do they mean... in order to match the HR diagram it "must have".
Just wondering, because I've only been able to find "artists impressions", not an actual observational image of 2 bodies? 
I'm just wondering if their "discovery" is developing a solution that fits model assumptions, as opposed to "discovering" twins by... well.... taking a photo of em? I'd love to see the photo if it exists. |
I am sure they wouldn't have Photo's as they are so close together.
(Quote)
To calculate the object's brightness, the researchers had to first determine its distance from Earth.
After three years of precise measurements with the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Australia,
they concluded that 2M 0939 is the fifth-closest known brown dwarf to us, 17 light-years away
toward the constellation Antlia. This distance, together with Spitzer's measurements, told the
astronomers the object was both cool and extremely dim.
But something was puzzling. The brightness of the object was twice what would be expected for
a brown dwarf with its particular temperature. The solution? The object must have twice the
surface area. In other words, it's twins, with each body shining only half as bright, and each with
a mass of 30 to 40 times that of Jupiter. Both bodies are one million times fainter than the sun in
total light, and at least one billion times fainter in visible light alone.
Regards