Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Brown Drawf: Rogue Failed Star Is One of Smallest Ever Seen

Extreme brightness changes observed on a nearby tiny brown dwarf star may indicate a storm grander than any yet seen on an alien world, scientists say.
CREDIT: Jon Lomberg

Astronomers have discovered more than two dozen previously unknown failed stars, including one that ranks among the puniest of its kind, new research finds.

The newfound objects are brown dwarfs, strange bodies that are larger than planets but too small to trigger the internal nuclear fusion reactions required to become full-fledged stars.

Astronomers discovered the objects in two young star clusters using Japan's Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope in Chile.

One of the brown dwarfs is just six times the mass of Jupiter, making it "one of the puniest free-floating objects known," researchers said in a statement.

No comments:

Post a Comment