For the Traveller 2300 / 2300AD fans...

[ffutures]

Gacked from james_nicoll

A binary brown dwarf has been found only 6.3 LY from the solar system. It must be very annoying for everyone who still uses the T2300 jump maps!

http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Luhman3-2013

Comments

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

A binary brown dwarf has been found

And we're sure it's not just a PR stunt for The Hobbit Part II? ;)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

It may not be. Just eyeballing where it is in the sky, I'm not sure what besides Alpha Centauri is within stutterwarp range of it.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I must be remembering it wrong - that's not too big a problem then.

[eledonecirrhosa.livejournal.com]

I think you are remembering it right. I'm sure the stutterwarp's limit was 7 light years, so it should be able to reach this new star from Earth.

I suppose it depends what else is within 7 light years of the new one...

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Um... it's seven light years in Elite / Oolite, not sure about 2300 AD.

(checks Wikipedia)

OK, 7.7 LY, so yes, it's probably going to have some effect on routes.

[nelc.livejournal.com]

Have we got an RA & Dec for the binary?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WISE_1049-5319