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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope identifies 'tiniest free-floating brown dwarf'
UPI / NASA ^ | DEC. 13, 2023 / 2:45 PM | By Patrick Hilsman

Posted on 12/14/2023 11:21:38 AM PST by Red Badger

Researchers from Penn State University and the European Space Agency havr located the smallest known brown dwarf by using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Photo courtesy of the European Space Agency

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Dec. 13 (UPI) -- NASA said its James Webb Space Telescope has spotted the "tiniest free-floating brown dwarf" ever identified.

"Brown dwarfs are objects that straddle the dividing line between stars and planets," the space agency said in a press release Wednesday,

"They form like stars," NASA said. However, unlike stars, Brown dwarfs don't have enough mass to cause nuclear fusion in their cores the way stars do.

Researchers Kevin Luhman of Penn State University and Catarina Alves de Oliviera of the European Space Agency located the brown dwarf by focusing on the relatively young IC 348 star cluster.

"This cluster is young, only about 5 million years old. As a result, any brown dwarfs would still be relatively bright in infrared light, glowing from the heat of their formation," NASA said.

The researchers identified the brown dwarf using the telescope's near-infrared camera and used the near-Infrared spectrograph microshutter array to examine the identified areas.

NASA said it hopes that by observing the brown dwarf, researchers can gain insight into the formation of stars and understand more about massive exoplanets, which have similar characteristics to brown dwarfs.

"A free-floating brown dwarf is easier to study than a giant exoplanet since the latter is hidden within the glare of its host star," NASA said.

Scientists hope to learn more about how Brown dwarfs form out of gas, as they have far less mass than stars.

"We have to ask, how does the star formation process operate at such very, very small masses?" de Olveira said.


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Astronomy; History; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; ic348; science
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To: castlebrew
… pending a perfunctory plagiarism check.

This check is not required on affirmative action applications.

21 posted on 12/14/2023 11:58:00 AM PST by immadashell (Save Innocent Lives: Ban Gun Free Zones)
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To: Red Badger

They’re often called brown dwarf “stars”, but they’re really like the article says, a gray area between planets and stars. A large brown dwarf can probably look very much like a star. At about 75 to 80 Jupiter mass actual hydrogen (proton-proton) fusion kicks in and it becomes a red dwarf. A full-fledged star.


22 posted on 12/14/2023 12:02:44 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: DouglasKC

Yep


23 posted on 12/14/2023 12:05:04 PM PST by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare)
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To: Red Badger

One of Teresa Heinz Kerry’s little brown workers?


24 posted on 12/14/2023 12:06:24 PM PST by bgill
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To: Telepathic Intruder

If they aren’t as big as “real” stars, maybe they should be called “startles.”


25 posted on 12/14/2023 12:06:32 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Verginius Rufus

Or whatever you call low-grade actors.


26 posted on 12/14/2023 12:09:24 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Red Badger

“tiniest free-floating brown dwarf”
Just an idea...πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
https://rumble.com/vm1zwo-just-an-idea....html


27 posted on 12/14/2023 12:45:13 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop ( ~~ TRUMP is right about EVERYTHING ! ~~ )
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To: Red Badger

Niburu!!! It’s coming!!!!


28 posted on 12/14/2023 12:55:36 PM PST by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: Red Badger

Brown Dwarf…. That name will last about 5 more minutes.


29 posted on 12/14/2023 12:56:01 PM PST by freedomjusticeruleoflaw (Strange that a man with his wealth would have to resort to prostitution.)
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To: Magnum44

You win the Internet today!


30 posted on 12/14/2023 1:24:20 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (islam is a totalitarian death cult founded by a child rapist.)
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To: Red Badger

Fauci....


31 posted on 12/14/2023 3:34:17 PM PST by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me https://youtu.be/wH-pk2vZG2M)
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