What is a Brown Dwarf?
Though brown dwarfs are "born" in the same cloud of gas as stars, they form differently.
Stars are born when elements in the gas are squeezed so tightly that they become incredibly hot and enter a process called 'fusion.'
At this point, the combined elements form the core of a star. The core is so hot that it begins to emit a spectacular bright light.
Brown dwarfs have a core too, but it doesn't become as hot as a star's. This means a brown dwarf cannot grow as massive as a star or shine as brightly as a star.
Some brown dwarfs have such dim light that our telescopes cannot "see" them. But we can guess that these "invisible dancers" are present because we see the effects of their mass and of their movements in space.
Stars are born when elements in the gas are squeezed so tightly that they become incredibly hot and enter a process called 'fusion.'
At this point, the combined elements form the core of a star. The core is so hot that it begins to emit a spectacular bright light.
Brown dwarfs have a core too, but it doesn't become as hot as a star's. This means a brown dwarf cannot grow as massive as a star or shine as brightly as a star.
Some brown dwarfs have such dim light that our telescopes cannot "see" them. But we can guess that these "invisible dancers" are present because we see the effects of their mass and of their movements in space.