Old and Cold

Look: NASA spots an unusual object in deep space

by Jennifer Walter
Giphy

See this colorful sphere that looks a bit like Jupiter?

It’s not quite a star and not quite a planet: it’s a brown dwarf.

Brown dwarfs are bigger than planets but smaller than stars. They glow dully but lack nuclear fusion — the chemical process that causes stars to shine.

NASA/JPL-Caltech
Tap
Space, Time, Dinosaurs, and Other Essential Topics
Get the best of science—space missions, black holes, futuristic biology—delivered daily, minus the jargon.
By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy