Central region of constellation IC348 with 3 brown dwarf stars
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has just set a new record for discovering the smallest star-like object in space, when it discovered a small brown dwarf in the constellation IC348, according to a recent report from Insider .
Scientists have lacked information to identify and classify brown dwarfs, but the new discovery provides more information about this celestial body.
"The smallest of the new objects we found is likely the lowest-mass free-floating brown dwarf ever observed to date," said Kevin Luhman, professor of astronomy at Pennsylvania State University.
Mr. Luhman is the lead author of a study documenting the findings that the team recently published in The Astronomical Journal .
Astronomers have studied space for millennia, but have yet to determine how lesser-known celestial objects like brown dwarfs form. So they decided to look for answers in the constellation IC348.
The constellation is 1,000 light-years away and lies in the Perseus star-forming region. IC348 is about 5 million years old, so brown dwarfs are likely to emit infrared light.
In this constellation, astronomers discovered brown dwarfs, the smallest of which is about 3-4 times larger than Jupiter.
According to Business Insider , brown dwarfs are one of the strangest objects in the universe. Most of the objects we see in space are in the form of planets, nebulae, stars, or black holes.
Brown dwarfs, however, do not fall into these categories. They are not massive enough to be classified as stars but are larger than most planets, so they are described as “stellar” objects, but are massive enough to facilitate fusion with deuterium, emitting heat and light that telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope can detect.
"Because they lack hydrogen fusion, brown dwarfs are relatively cool and shine brightest in the infrared. Therefore, infrared telescopes like the James Webb are the best choice for trying to detect new brown dwarfs," Luhman said.
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