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brown dwarf
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2007
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brown dwarf in astronomy, celestial body that is larger than a planet but does not have sufficient mass to convert hydrogen into helium via nuclear fusion as stars do. Also called "failed stars," brown dwarfs form in the same way as true stars (by the contraction of a swirling cloud of interstellar matter ). True stars have enough mass (greater than 0.084 times that of the sun) to compress their core until the increasing temperature and pressure ignite the hydrogen fusion reaction, but brown dwarfs have only a relatively short period of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) burning before they cool and fade. Their coolness gives brown dwarfs two distinguishing characteristics: One is that most of the radiation they emit is in the infrared part of the spectrum; the other is that brown dwarfs can be distinguished by traces of lithium in their spectrum because, unlike true stars, brown dwarfs never get hot enough to burn the lithium that was in the interstellar cloud as it condensed.
Originally posted by matiascs
Go outside, walk your dog, drink some wine, hug your kids, enjoy a sunset...
Originally posted by biggie smalls
What I do know is that we're going to be in for some ride .
[edit on 2/20/2008 by biggie smalls]
Originally posted by AnAbsoluteCreation
Scientist are claiming the the entire solar system is warming, and others claim that Nibiru is accompanied by a brown dwarf star, which could explain the warming of the outer solar system.
[edit on 19-2-2008 by AnAbsoluteCreation]