A Hubble telescope survey has found that brown dwarfs—objects smaller than stars but bigger than planets—live a lonely life as they age. Over time they lose the companion brown dwarf that was born alongside them and the objects drift their separate ways.
Tag: Brown Dwarfs
Astronomers Probe Layer-Cake Structure of Brown Dwarf’s Atmosphere
Researchers used the giant W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii to observe a nearby brown dwarf in infrared light. They found that the dwarf’s atmosphere has a layer-cake structure with clouds of different composition at different altitudes.
Astronomers Measure Wind Speed on a Brown Dwarf
Using VLA and Spitzer observations, astronomers are able to determine wind speeds on a brown dwarf for the first time. They believe the technique also could be used for exoplanets.