Brown Dwarfs: Bridging the Gap Between Planets and Stars

Definition: Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects that share characteristics with both planets and stars. They are too massive to be considered true planets, yet they lack the mass required for sustained nuclear fusion in their cores, preventing them from becoming full-fledged stars.

picture here:

Characteristics:

• Mass and Size: Brown dwarfs have masses ranging from about 13 to 80 times that of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. Their sizes fall between those of gas giant planets and the smallest stars.
• Temperature: Brown dwarfs are cooler than stars, with surface temperatures ranging from about 300 to 2,500 degrees Celsius (572 to 4,532 degrees Fahrenheit). Due to their lower temperatures, they emit most of their radiation in the infrared part of the spectrum.
• Formation: Like stars, brown dwarfs form from the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds of gas and dust. However, they lack the mass needed to sustain hydrogen fusion, a defining characteristic of stars.
• Brightness: Brown dwarfs are faint and challenging to observe directly. They emit some light, particularly in the infrared spectrum, but their luminosity is much lower than that of stars.