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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- The Coldest Brown Dwarf
NASA ^ | August 30, 2011 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 08/30/2011 3:08:12 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Explanation: This cosmic snapshot composed with image data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite captures a multitude of faint stars and distant galaxies toward the constellation Lyra at wavelengths longer than visible light. But the object circled at the center is not quite a star. Cataloged as WISE 1828+2650, it lies within 40 light-years of the Sun and is currently the coldest brown dwarf known. A brown dwarf begins like a star, with the gravitational collapse of a dense cloud of gas and dust, but is not massive enough to achieve the core temperatures and densities that trigger hydrogen fusion, the stable source of a star's energy. Instead the failed star ultimately cools and emits most of its light at infrared wavelengths. Remarkably, brown dwarfs are roughly the size of the planet Jupiter. How cold is WISE 1828+2650? While brown dwarfs have measured surface temperatures of up to 1,400 degrees C (2,600 degress F), this brown dwarf , assigned to spectral class Y, has the estimated temperature of a warm room, less than about 27 degrees C (80 degrees F).

August 30, 2011

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; browndwarf; science
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[Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, WISE]

1 posted on 08/30/2011 3:08:14 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv
A closeup.


2 posted on 08/30/2011 3:19:40 AM PDT by Cheburashka (If found, please return this Ring of Power to Sauron, Lord of Darkness. Return postage guaranteed.)
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...

Hi ho, hi ho...

3 posted on 08/30/2011 3:39:20 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Cheburashka

I never suspected that someone would toss that in.


4 posted on 08/30/2011 3:41:11 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

I thought the coldest brown dwarf was DeFreezy.


5 posted on 08/30/2011 4:00:20 AM PDT by aruanan
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To: Cheburashka

"Read my lips. No new axes".

6 posted on 08/30/2011 4:14:45 AM PDT by Diogenesis ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." Pres. Ronald Reagan)
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To: SunkenCiv

The Universe is not without levity!

Lots of Gravity too.


7 posted on 08/30/2011 4:19:10 AM PDT by left that other site (Psalm 122:6)
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To: SunkenCiv

This star sounds like a gaseous planet without any solid mass. Where is the line between a cold brown dwarf and a rogue planet?


8 posted on 08/30/2011 4:32:52 AM PDT by RadiationRomeo (Step into my mind and glimpse the madness that is me)
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To: RadiationRomeo

arbitrary size threshold


9 posted on 08/30/2011 5:24:48 AM PDT by icanhasbailout (Draft Napolitano 2012)
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To: Diogenesis

"The Republicans reveal their new tax strategy!".


10 posted on 08/30/2011 5:54:31 AM PDT by Only1choice____Freedom (FDR had the New Deal. President 0bama has the Raw Deal.)
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To: SunkenCiv

11 posted on 08/30/2011 6:09:18 AM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: SunkenCiv

Does that mean that all the hundreds of other little, green dots are also in the “warm room” temperature range?

And no dwarf tossing, Civ.


12 posted on 08/30/2011 8:06:02 AM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list.)
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To: Cheburashka

Hey, Gimli was anything but cold towards Galadriel!


13 posted on 08/30/2011 8:11:29 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (Obama is the least qualified guy in whatever room he walks into.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Oh so many ways to go with this.

60% of which would get me a time out.


14 posted on 08/30/2011 11:34:13 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: martin_fierro

I read the headline and thought it was thread about Eric Holder.


15 posted on 08/30/2011 11:35:47 AM PDT by montyspython (This thread needs more cowbell)
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To: montyspython; martin_fierro

Better yet, Celo Green.


16 posted on 08/30/2011 11:36:32 AM PDT by montyspython (This thread needs more cowbell)
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To: left that other site; SunkenCiv; TheOldLady
The Universe is not without levity!

Lots of Gravity too.

Everything has its ups and downs

17 posted on 08/30/2011 6:31:04 PM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: bigheadfred

True,

except maybe in a singularity.


18 posted on 08/30/2011 6:33:56 PM PDT by left that other site (Psalm 122:6)
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To: left that other site

Let’s give that a try. You fiiirrrrrssssssttttttttttt. ;-)

Which gets me to wondering. If you introduced a brown dwarf to a singularity does it just sorta elongate and start circling until the thing gets sucked down? Something you KNOW will happen with a singularity. But in an average ordinary life one can only HOPE happens?


19 posted on 08/30/2011 6:58:30 PM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: RadiationRomeo; icanhasbailout

A star is a star, a planet is an inert non-star. The gas giant planets in our system probably have some kind of solid core, albiet small. Neptune’s is larger than Uranus (had to work in the latter, because you just know someone wants to get smart with it), although Uranus is larger. Jupiter’s rocky core exceeds the size of the Earth, but the total mass of Jupiter is 318 x Earth masses.


20 posted on 08/30/2011 6:58:48 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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