brown dwarf

noun

: a celestial object that is much smaller than a normal star and has insufficient mass to sustain nuclear fusion but that is hot enough to radiate energy especially at infrared wavelengths

Examples of brown dwarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This provides scientists with valuable data on how their formation compares to that of a star or brown dwarf, the term given to large gaseous planets that fail to develop into stars. Javier Carbajal, WIRED, 25 Mar. 2025 This binary rate drops to near zero for the smallest stars, so as stellar bodies with even smaller masses, there should be very little chance of finding brown dwarfs in binaries. Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2025 Thus, if free-floating planetary mass objects are indeed brown dwarfs, the sheer number of them seen as binary systems is difficult to explain. Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2025 In contrast, stars, including brown dwarfs, form on their own within giant collapsing clouds of gas. Byadam Mann, science.org, 6 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for brown dwarf

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brown dwarf was in 1975

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Cite this Entry

“Brown dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20dwarf. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

brown dwarf

noun
: an object in space that is much smaller and dimmer than a normal star
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