Stars & Nebulae > Gliese 229b (2006)

Gliese 229b

G liese 229 is a red dwarf flare star some 19 light-years away in the constellation of Lepus (the Hare). In 1994, astronomers detected a companion object, Gliese 229b, which turned out to be a brown dwarf. Indeed it was the first such object ever to be observed directly. This image shows the brown dwarf as it might appear up close, with its parent star off in the distance (top) and a planet in close attendance. Brown dwarves are objects which are not bright or massive enough to be true stars, yet which form in the same way.