Menklinan is a triple system, at the heart of which is a binary pair of whitestars in a very close mutual orbit just 0.08 AU apart - so close that each of the two stars is physically deformed by the gravitational effects of the other. The third member of the system is a much fainter reddwarf in a wide orbit around the central pair.
A pair of dancing stars: at the core of the Menkalinan system are twinwhitestars circling
a common centre of gravity. The event shown here happens once every 47½ hours: from the Earth, one star appears to partially eclipse the other, causing a slight loss in magnitude.
Show on Sky Map