brown dwarfs
Strange Loner Planet Gets Astronomers’ Attention
After examining the strange object known as CFBDSIR 2149-0403, a team has determined that it is either a solitary planetary-mass…
First Detection of Water Clouds Outside Our Solar System
Astronomers have now determined a nearby brown dwarf has some exciting characteristics: its atmosphere is full of clouds of water…
It’s Freezing on the Surface of this Nearby Star-like Object
Our stellar neighborhood just got a little busier ... and a little colder. A brown dwarf that's as frosty as…
First Microlensing Detection of a Planet Circling a Brown Dwarf Candidate
When astronomers detect new exoplanets they typically do so using one of two techniques. First, there's the famous transit technique,…
Nearby Brown Dwarf Captured in a Direct Image
A recent find announced by astronomers may go a long ways towards understanding a crucial “missing link” between planets and…
Brown Dwarfs Might Host Planets Too
This image shows the brown dwarf ISO-Oph 102, or Rho-Oph 102, in the Rho Ophiuchi star-forming region. Its position is…
WISE Discovers Some Really “Cool” Stars!
[/caption]What would you say if I told you there are stars with a temperature close to that of a human…
The Other End of the Planetary Scale
[/caption] The definition of a "planet" is one that has seen a great deal of contention. The ad-hoc redefinition has…
Astronomy Without A Telescope – Brown Dwarfs Are Magnetic Too
[/caption] I feel a certain empathy for brown dwarfs. The first confirmed finding of one was only fifteen years ago…
Mystery Object Found Orbiting Brown Dwarf
[/caption] Big planet or companion brown dwarf? Using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory, astronomers have discovered an…