It’s Freezing on the Surface of this Nearby Star-like Object Read more:

universetoday.com ^ | April 29, 2014 | Shannon Hall on

[BenLurkin]

A brown dwarf that’s as frosty as the Earth’s North Pole has been discovered lurking incredibly close to our Solar System. Astronomer Keven Luhman from Pennsylvania State University used NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the Spitzer Space Telescope to pinpoint the object’s temperature and distance. This is the coldest brown dwarf found so far, and it’s a mere 7.2 light-years away, making it the seventh closest star-like object to the Sun.

“It is very exciting to discover a new neighbor of our Solar System that is so close,” said Luhman in a press release.

Brown dwarfs emerge when clouds of gas and dust collapse. But unlike stars, they never grow dense enough or burn hot enough to ignite nuclear fusion in their cores. They live their lives less massive than stars, but more massive than gas giants. So they burn hot at first, then cool over time. And this newly discovered brown dwarf is as cold as ice. Literally.

[DannyTN]

Is this the dwarf?

[cripplecreek]

That’s a ginger dwarf.

[fwdude]

I thought they were called “little people” now.

[DannyTN]

"Luhman found the brown dwarfs temperature to be between –54° and 9° Fahrenheit (–48° to –13° Celsius).

So how do we warm it up? And how bad is the gravity going to be.

[DannyTN]

"Luhman found the brown dwarfs temperature to be between –54° and 9° Fahrenheit (–48° to –13° Celsius).

So how do we warm it up? And how bad is the gravity going to be.

[Telepathic Intruder]

With a mass of only 3-10 Jupiters, it may not even qualify as a brown dwarf. There are exoplanets larger than that. But no one has really set any rules yet.

[datura]

Seventh closest at 7 light years distant? What are the other six? (Are they counting the gas giants in our system?)

[Ray76]

>> Brown dwarfs emerge

When they emerge from their burrow if they see their shadow there’s six more weeks of winter.

[demshateGod]

The proper plural form of dwarf is dwarves.

[Ray76]

Yes I know. I copied from the article, would you feel better if I had added sic?

[demshateGod]

Yes, that was very careless of you.

[Ray76]

May a swarm of deranged dwarves devour your flesh.

[SkyDancer]

Brown dwarf? Sounds racist to me.

[BenLurkin]

[nascarnation]

Great post!

[PA Engineer]

With a mass of only 3-10 Jupiters, it may not even qualify as a brown dwarf. There are exoplanets larger than that. But no one has really set any rules yet.

Yep. Look what they did to Pluto. Will always be a planet in my heart.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·

Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

[SunkenCiv]

/ditto

[SkyDancer]

Wondering how long they’ll be able to keep that icon, what with all this PC and stuff. Just need one dwarf to complain.