Browsing: Brown Dwarf

A brown dwarf is a type of substellar object that occupies the intermediate category between the largest planets and the smallest stars, typically having a mass between approximately 13 and 80 times that of Jupiter. Brown dwarfs form in a similar manner to stars, from the gravitational collapse of gas and dust clouds, but they lack sufficient mass to sustain the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium, the process that powers true stars. Instead, brown dwarfs may fuse deuterium, a heavier isotope of hydrogen, or lithium if they are massive enough. They are generally cooler than stars and emit most of their light in the infrared spectrum, making them difficult to detect with traditional optical telescopes. The study of brown dwarfs provides valuable insights into both stellar and planetary formation processes and helps astronomers understand the characteristics and frequency of objects in our galaxy.