Friday, June 8, 2007

Astronomers put new discovery to good use

Hawaii Tribune Herald - June 7, 2007
The coolest-known star-like object beyond the solar system is giving astronomers a new look at the differences between massive planets and the smallest brown dwarfs.

This newly discovered object, called ULAS J0034-00 and located in the constellation of Cetus, has a record-setting surface temperature of 600-700 degrees Kelvin, cooler than any known solitary brown dwarf. ...
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Follow-up spectroscopic observations, critical for determining the brown dwarf's temperature and likely mass were obtained with the Gemini South Telescope in Chile. ...