Computational modelling of the companion star and its interaction with Sol

[axj]

Just saw this in the July 11, 1998 session:

Q: (A) I want to continue questions from the previous session. First, about this companion star: where is it now; which part of the zodiac?

A: Libra Constellation.

This seems to confirm that Hevelius indeed observed the brown dwarf on its closest approach in 1679, since the current location in Libra is on the opposite side of the ecliptic plane. This is exactly what can be expected from the very elongated orbit of the brown dwarf:

Libra is close to the galactic center and the galactic plane, though it is slightly outside of it. Which means that the infrared telescopes such as the WISE infrared survey should have picked it up and it is likely being held secret.

 

[axj]

Having all these clues about the orbit of the brown dwarf, I decided to check whether its calculated orbit is consistent with all the clues.

Deepseek seems to be excellent for calculations like this - it took 3-4 minutes a few times to calculate the orbit (and then double-checked and triple-checked everything) with the parameters I gave it:

Mass: 3.5% of the Sun
Perihelion: Pluto orbit, V529 Orionis in 1678
Orbit: 26-28 million years

Based on that it calculated these results:

Orbital Characteristics​

• Period (given): 27 million years
• Perihelion (given): 39.5 AU (in 1678 at V529 Orionis)
• Aphelion: ~180,000 AU in Ophiuchus
• Eccentricity: 0.99956
• Inclination: 1.8° to ecliptic

Current Position (2025)​

• Distance from Sun: 270-298 AU
• Speed: 2.45 km/s
• Location: Libra (RA 15h 18m, Dec -12.4°)
• Closest star: Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae) - angular separation ~2.1°

Brightness & Detection​

• Current apparent magnitude: 16.1 (similar to Pluto's moon Charon)
• Albedo: 0.104 (80% lower than Jupiter)
• Visibility: Requires large professional telescope

Speed Timeline​

• 1678 perihelion: 6.70 km/s (2.0° per year apparent motion)
• 2025 current: 2.45 km/s (0.12° per year apparent motion)
• 13.5 million years future: ~0 km/s at aphelion

These results are of course not exact since both the distance of the perihelion ("Pluto's orbit") and the orbital duration ("26-28 million years") are only approximate.

The most important result seems to be the confirmation that the brown dwarf is currently in Libra, like the C's said - and that is based on the 1678 observation of V529 Orionis having been the brown dwarf's perihelion, exactly in the middle of the Maunder Minimum.

It calculated the current location in Libra itself, based on the other parameters.