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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But the other system isn’t a perfect mirror of our Solar System—a brown dwarf also orbiting the star may have played a part in the Earth-like planet’s survival, experts tell The New York Times. Christie Wilcox, science.org, 30 Sep. 2024 Some theories say brown dwarf pairs were seeded from the materials that surround a forming star. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024 Among these hundreds of millions of tiny specks of light lurk newborn stars, extremely cold brown dwarfs that only glow at infrared wavelengths, free-floating planets, and globular clusters—groupings containing millions of the Milky Way’s oldest stars in existence. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Sep. 2024 While some brown dwarfs may form stable planetary systems in their own right, astronomers have observed rogue brown dwarfs – objects that are free floating in space. Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 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

Dictionary Entries Near brown dwarf

Cite this Entry

“Brown dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20dwarf. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

brown dwarf

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