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 Energy in that brown dwarf's atmosphere cooled with increasing altitude — as the astronomers expected. Megan Myers, Fox News, 10 Jan. 2024 In the case of brown dwarfs, though, that shine is pretty feeble. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024 The study of these extremely small brown dwarfs and the discovery of mysterious hydrocarbons have led astronomers to question whether these are actually brown dwarf stars at all. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 14 Dec. 2023 Maybe brown dwarfs are really just overachieving planets. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024 These cool brown dwarfs can be spotted in telescope images of the night sky, and astronomers need your help to do it. Scistarter Team, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023 Webb is an ideal tool for such a search because the smallest stars—brown dwarfs, which emit light from the fusion of deuterium—are most visible in infrared light. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 14 Dec. 2023 Núria Miret Roig of the University of Vienna and Hervé Bouy of the University of Bordeaux were looking for the most dwarfish of brown dwarfs in the constellation Scorpius, which hosts a gassy nebula that cranks out lots of stars and planets. Charlie Wood, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2023 Look through images of space and point out potential brown dwarfs near Earth. Scistarter Team, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brown 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

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 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

brown dwarf

noun
: an object in space that is much smaller and dimmer than a normal star
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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