Sirius B takes roughly 50 years to orbit Sirius A. At their nearest approach, the stars are still some 7 astronomical units (AU) from each other, or seven times the Earth-Sun distance.

Sirius B was discovered back on Jan. 31, 1862, by the American optical expert Alvan Clark using the newly manufactured 18.5-inch lens at the Dearborn Observatory.

Sirius B takes roughly 50 years to orbit Sirius A. At their nearest approach, the stars are still some 7 astronomical units (AU) from each other, or seven times the Earth-Sun distance.