brown dwarf

noun

Definition of brown dwarfnext
as in white dwarf

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brown dwarf Viewed from a distance, the steady feeding process would proceed like a triangle as the victim brown dwarf orbits the star that is eating it. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026 In this system, material seems to be flowing from the brown dwarf to the red dwarf in a process that could continue for millions of years. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026 Instead Hoy and his colleagues used the radial velocity method to look for wobbles in the brown dwarf. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 July 2026 Orbiting this star is a brown dwarf, which is a type of gas giant that is larger than a planet, yet smaller than a star. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for brown dwarf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brown dwarf
  1. white dwarf
  2. neutron star
  3. binary star
  4. red star
  5. red dwarf
  6. variable
  7. variable star
  8. supernova
Noun
  • The team thinks that this unique double structure is evidence of planets that weren't completely vaporized during this white dwarf's red giant phase.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Next, Hollands is planning to keep analyzing more white dwarf star spectra, with advances in scientific techniques meaning that researchers will be able to look at a new tranche of stars that are even farther away from Earth.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of white dwarf
Noun
  • The gravity on the surface can be several billion times Earth’s, and a typical neutron star’s magnetic field is billions of times stronger than Earth’s as well.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The team behind that research determined that GRB 111209A is powered by a magnetar, a neutron star with a particular powerful magnetic field.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of neutron star
Noun
  • The twinkling point of light to the moon's upper left is the binary star system Alpha Virginis, also known as Spica, which shines as the brightest point in the constellation Virgo.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The study has major implications for studying binary star systems as well.
    — Damien Pine, Scientific American, 21 July 2026
Definition of binary star
Noun
  • To find Taurus, look to the northeast of the constellation Orion to find the red star Aldebaran, the star in the bull’s eye.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The Hollywood Historic Trust shared a photo of restoration progress on its social media, showing a blank red star set in an otherwise empty square.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of red star
Noun
  • In this system, material seems to be flowing from the brown dwarf to the red dwarf in a process that could continue for millions of years.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Scientists have found that a distant world has a real rebellious streak, outwardly defying its red dwarf host star.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of red dwarf
Noun
  • Miller is the least predictable variable in the complicated equation of formulating the Bulls’ new future.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the biggest variable facing Gunn and Safran’s DC Studios is largely outside their control.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of variable
Noun
  • Untangling the mystery Betelgeuse has long been known as a variable star, and recent breakthroughs are helping astronomers untangle its erratic behavior.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In May, for example, astronomers suggested that a lunar-mass PBH might have been spotted drifting through the halo of our Milky Way, but follow-up work suggested the sighting was a variable star, not a black hole.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of variable star
Noun
  • Tycho's Star was finally classified as a supernova in the 1940s.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • This initial increase in X-rays represented the earliest phase of supernova evolution ever observed.
    — Mary Ogborn, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of supernova

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Cite this Entry

“Brown dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brown%20dwarf. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on brown dwarf

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about brown dwarf

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