brown dwarf
Can A ‘Planet-Like Object’ Start Its Life Blazing As Hot As A Star?
Nature once again shows us how hard it is to fit astronomical objects into categories. An examination of a so-far…
Surprise! Brown Dwarf Star Has Dusty Skies, Appearing Strangely Red
Dust clouds on a brown dwarf or "failed star" are making it appear redder than its counterparts, new research reveals.…
Weekly Space Hangout – January 31, 2014: No Black Holes?!?
Host: Fraser Cain Guests: Brian Koberlein, Morgan Rehnberg, David Dickinson, Jason Major, Nicole Gugliucci (more…)
Behind the Scenes: The “Making Of” the First Brown Dwarf Surface Map
By now, you will probably have heard that astronomers have produced the first global weather map for a brown dwarf.…
Weekly Space Hangout – December 13, 2013 – Europa’s Water Jets and Chinese Lunar Lander
Host: Fraser Cain Guests: David Dickinson, Amy Shira Teitel, Jason Major, Nicole Gugliucci (more…)
When Is a Star Not a Star?
When it's a brown dwarf -- but where do we draw the line? Often called "failed stars," brown dwarfs are…
Exploring Our Galaxy’s Ancient Brown Dwarfs
As the name implies, a brown dwarf is small... only about 7% the size of the Sun. As far as…
Clouds of Sand and Iron Swirl in a Failed Star’s Extreme Atmosphere
Artist's concept of brown dwarf 2MASSJ22282889-431026 (NASA/JPL-Caltech) The complex weather patterns within the atmosphere of a rapidly-rotating brown dwarf have been…
The Secret Origin Story of Brown Dwarfs
[/caption] Sometimes called failed stars, brown dwarfs straddle the line between star and planet. Too massive to be "just" a…
Failed Star Is One Cool Companion
[/caption] Astronomers have located a planet-like star that's barely warmer than a balmy summer day on Earth... it's literally the…