This illustration shows the relatively small separations of the 12 companions found around low-mass stars that were studied in the Gemini Observatory survey by Laird Close et al. The wide view at the top shows the common distances for companions around larger parent stars, with the low-mass companions enlarged in the lower part of the illustration and a scale of our solar system drawn in for comparison. The fainter orange companions are brown dwarfs; the brightest are likely low-mass stars.
