Astronomers discover Gliese 229B is actually two brown dwarfs orbiting each other

Researchers have re-examined the first brown dwarf ever discovered, Gliese 229B, and found it is not a single object but two brown dwarfs orbiting each other in a binary system, reports Reuters. 

The discovery, detailed in two new studies, shows that these brown dwarfs, named Gliese 229Ba and Gliese 229Bb, are located 19 light-years away in the constellation Lepus. They orbit each other every 12 days at a distance just 16 times that between Earth and the Moon, a rarity for brown dwarfs.

Brown dwarfs, which sit between stars and planets in size, are unable to ignite nuclear fusion like stars. This discovery has provided new insights into their formation, with researchers still uncertain about the exact transition between giant planets and brown dwarfs.