Webb reveals dynamic panorama of star formation, including smallest known brown dwarfs
This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images released to date from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for brown dwarfs, which are less massive than the smallest stars. The researchers discovered brown dwarfs just twice the mass of Jupiter, bringing the study of these curious objects into a new mass range and…
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled a dynamic panorama of star formation in the nearby region IC 348, revealing the smallest known brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs, less massive than the smallest stars, were previously thought to weigh at least 8% of the Sun's mass. Using the NIRCam and NIRSpec instruments, astronomers discovered brown dwarfs with masses just twice that of Jupiter, or 0.19% of the Sun's mass, which is far smaller than previously predicted.
These lightweight brown dwarfs challenge existing star-formation models and may harbor small planets. Additionally, one brown dwarf exhibited signs of a protoplanetary disk, suggesting that small planets could form around these ultra-lightweight objects. The researchers also detected an unidentified hydrocarbon feature in the atmosphere of these extreme brown dwarfs, hinting at a possible new spectral class.
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- NASA’s Webb Reveals Dynamic Panorama of Star Formation science.nasa.gov
- Webb reveals stunning panorama of star formation esa.int
