Failed stars or failed planets?

2001/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

As in other areas, the classification of space bodies is not always easy. Brown dwarfs are among those of difficult classification. The first was detected in 1995 and confirmed the suspicion of astronomers of the years, that is, in space there were bodies that were between stars and planets. But did brown dwarfs form as stars or planets? Italian astronomers have used the ISO telescope to solve the mystery.

The research consisted in observing brown dwarfs and detecting whether or not they had gas disks around them, if they had a disc, since it was a sign that formed as a star. The three studied by the Italians had records. This discovery reinforces the theory that brown dwarfs are failed stars, but it does not belittle the other. Now they want to analyze the smaller brown dwarfs to see if they also have a disc. But they will have to wait for the launch of the next generation of telescopes.