red dwarf

noun

: a star having substantially lower surface temperature, intrinsic luminosity, mass, and size than the sun

Examples of red dwarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This rocky Venus-sized world transits a red dwarf star, offering astronomers the rare opportunity to study whether such planets can retain their atmospheres and potentially support life. George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 May 2024 Both planets circle a red dwarf star, and one, known as LP 890-9c, might even be habitable. CBS News, 8 May 2024 The other two are Alpha Centauri B and the red dwarf Proxima Centauri. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 Three rocky planets orbited the red dwarf YZ Ceti, a cosmic stone’s throw away. Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2023 But eventually, all stars, including the red dwarfs, will come to an end. Popular Mechanics, 7 Mar. 2023 Nevertheless, the worlds around Proxima Centauri might not be the most friendly to life; the star is a red dwarf, and those frequently throw out stellar flares and harmful radiation that could burn off a planet’s atmosphere and fry any alien microbes on the surface. Ramin Skibba, Wired, 27 Oct. 2021 But the discovery of a planet at least 13 times Earth's mass orbiting very close to a red dwarf only 11% of the sun's mass has astronomers going back to the drawing board on planetary formation theory involving this prevalent type of star. Fox News, 1 Dec. 2023 That’s well within the range of red dwarfs’ starlight. WIRED, 2 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'red dwarf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of red dwarf was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near red dwarf

Cite this Entry

“Red dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20dwarf. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

red dwarf

noun
: a star having much lower surface temperature, brightness, mass, and size than the sun

More from Merriam-Webster on red dwarf

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