For years, astronomers have been amazed by the diverse celestial bodies that reside in the cosmos. Now, a group of astronomers have discovered the most massive and hottest brown dwarf ever found outside our solar system.
A brown dwarf is a celestial body between a planet and a star. This one was discovered by citizen scientists using data from sky surveys, which was then verified and confirmed by a team of professional astronomers. The brown dwarf, PSO J318.5-22, is located 78 light-years away in the constellation of Capricornus. It is estimated to be nearly twelve times as massive as Jupiter, making it one of the biggest brown dwarfs known.
The new dwarf is also an exceptionally hot body, with a temperature estimated to be around 2,500 Kelvin. That’s similar to the temperature found at the surface of the sun. In comparison, other known brown dwarfs usually range in temperature from 2,000 Kelvin to less than 800 Kelvin.
What makes PSO J318.5-22 so peculiar is that it has been detected in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. While this wavelength range is usually associated with red dwarfs – stars too cool to be classified as anything but small, dim, and reddish – the newly discovered brown dwarf is surprisingly the opposite and has an orange hue.
The brown dwarf was identified using data from the Pan-STARRS survey and was then further studied in more detail using a few of the world’s largest visible and infrared observatories, including the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Gemini South observatory in Chile.
The hot properties of PSO J318.5-22 encourage astronomers to think that similar brown dwarfs in the Galaxy may have even hotter atmospheric temperatures. As such, astronomers now believe that temperatures of up to 3000 Kelvin may be achievable by some brown dwarfs, which could open up new questions and possibilities regarding the formation of these fascinating celestial bodies.
By piecing together the evidence and performing further research, astronomers aim to gain a better understanding of the evolution of brown dwarfs and the role they play in the Universe. PSO J318.5-22 offers a rare window of insight into the stellar life-cycle and is sure to spark the imagination of astronomers around the world.
