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2011-08-26 12:08:19
Infrared satellite spies dim brown dwarf stars right in our galactic backyard
When you think of stars, you probably imagine massive, burning balls of fire
much like our sun, but there are stars out there in space which you could
actually stand on and not be burnt to a crisp. NASA has known of these
celestial bodies called brown Y dwarf stars for a great long time. But now,
a satellite has spotted a particularly chill Y dwarf that holds the new record
for the coolest star at just 80 degree Fahrenheit.
Prior to the discovery, the coolest Y dwarfs on record wouldn't instantly
incinerate a human explorer, but that unlucky individual would be uncomfortably
warm. The new cold star record holder put out just enough infrared light to be
spotted by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, and is
an order of magnitude cooler than any before it. WISE also spotted roughly 100
other brown dwarfs a handful of which are considerably closer than NASA had
thought.
Brown dwarf stars of sometimes referred to as "failed stars" because their
comparatively low mass keeps them from being able to fuse atoms like our own
sun. The lack of bright visible light makes these cool stars difficult to spot,
even with the assistance of telescopes, and infrared sensors are sometimes the
only way to learn of their existence. Researchers were surprised to learn that
several were within 40 light years of our own solar system, just a stone's
throw in terms of our galaxy.