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Nearby star

Luyten 726-8

Also UV Ceti · BL Ceti · GJ 65

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A pair of tiny red dwarfs, BL Ceti and UV Ceti, one of the nearest star systems to the Sun.

Measured

Distance
8.72 light-years
Constellation
Cetus
Position (J2000)
RA 1h 39m 02s, Dec −17.95°

How far, from the Sun

8.72 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light8.72 years
  • Voyager 1's speed155,000 years
  • Driving at 100 km/h94.1 million years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • UV Ceti is the prototype of the flare stars, which brighten violently within minutes.
  • Spectral type M5.5V + M6V (SIMBAD).

How it was found

  • Willem Luyten discovered the pair in 1948–49.

Where this comes from

  • Gaia DR3 parallax 373.8443 ± 0.5009 mas, Gaia DR3 5140693571158946048 (Gaia Collaboration 2023, A&A 674, A1)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.