Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Brown dwarfs are sometime called failed stars, as they're larger objects than Jupiter, that didn't have a chance to gather up enough gas that would generate high enough temperatures in the center of the object that would enable nuclear fusion to start.
Now scientists have announced that by using ESO's VLT they have charted the surface of the nearest brown dwarf and have been able to create a weather map.
The brown dwarf that was imaged and is informally known as Luhmann 16B is located 6 light years away from the Sun in the direction of the constellation Vela. The imaged dwarf is in a system with another brown dwarf and the system is third closest to the Sun, the only closer systems are Alpha Centauri and Barnard's Star.
Now scientists have announced that by using ESO's VLT they have charted the surface of the nearest brown dwarf and have been able to create a weather map.
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| Artists impression of Luhman 16B Credit: ESO/I. Crossfield/N. Risinger |
Labels: brown dwarfs, news