This peculiar 'dance' was 'performed' by a pair of brown dwarves that comprise the Luhman 16AB twin-star system, the fourth-closest to Earth star system after Alpha Centauri and Barnard’s Star.
Despite its relative proximity to Earth, the system was only discovered in 2013 by Professor Kevin Luhman of the Pennsylvania State University.
Astronomers suspect that the Luhman 16 system may also harbor a previously undiscovered exoplanet, but are yet to confirm this theory.
The astronomers operating the Hubble were keeping a close eye on the Luhman stars’ dance for a long time in the hope of detecting the presence of this elusive planet, but eventually concurred that the 'dancers' aren’t accompanied by any planetary partners.
