A University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Professor has undertaken ground-breaking research in the discovery of how brown dwarfs are born.
Ground-breaking research, published in Science on 6 July, has resolved the long-held debate over the formation of brown dwarf stars.
The work has been undertaken by Professor Derek Ward-Thompson, the Director of the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute for Astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), together with collaborators in France and Scotland.
The UCLan academic’s paper contains the discovery of the first confirmed pre-stellar brown dwarf, the earliest observable stage of star formation.
Credit: University of Central Lancashire
“Brown dwarfs are now known to be almost as numerous as hydrogen-burning stars” says Professor Derek Ward-Thompson
Professor Ward-Thompson explained there were huge scientific question marks over how brown dwarfs are formed since they were first discovered in 1995.
“Brown dwarfs are now known to be almost as numerous as hydrogen-burning stars, but their formation mechanism has always caused great controversy amongst astrophysicists,” he said.
“Brown dwarfs occupy a kind of hinterland between stars and planets. Some theories say they form like stars. Others say they form like planets around stars.
“Our discovery proves conclusively that they can form in exactly the same way as normal stars.”
“Brown dwarfs occupy a kind of hinterland between stars and planets” says Professor Ward-Thompson
Brown dwarfs are objects which have a size between that of a giant planet like Jupiter and that of a small star. Unlike a normal star a brown dwarf never becomes massive enough to create the pressure in its centre to begin hydrogen fusion and 'switch on'. All normal stars, such as the Sun, shine due to the energy released by hydrogen fusion at their centre.
A brown dwarf must be less than about 8 per cent of the mass of the Sun in order not to burn hydrogen (or about 80 times the mass of Jupiter).
Professor Ward-Thompson’s research was published in Science, the world's leading journal of original scientific research, global news, and commentary on 6 July 2012.
Ground-breaking research, published in Science on 6 July, has resolved the long-held debate over the formation of brown dwarf stars.
The work has been undertaken by Professor Derek Ward-Thompson, the Director of the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute for Astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), together with collaborators in France and Scotland.
The UCLan academic’s paper contains the discovery of the first confirmed pre-stellar brown dwarf, the earliest observable stage of star formation.
Credit: University of Central Lancashire
“Brown dwarfs are now known to be almost as numerous as hydrogen-burning stars” says Professor Derek Ward-Thompson
Professor Ward-Thompson explained there were huge scientific question marks over how brown dwarfs are formed since they were first discovered in 1995.
“Brown dwarfs are now known to be almost as numerous as hydrogen-burning stars, but their formation mechanism has always caused great controversy amongst astrophysicists,” he said.
“Brown dwarfs occupy a kind of hinterland between stars and planets. Some theories say they form like stars. Others say they form like planets around stars.
“Our discovery proves conclusively that they can form in exactly the same way as normal stars.”
“Brown dwarfs occupy a kind of hinterland between stars and planets” says Professor Ward-Thompson
Brown dwarfs are objects which have a size between that of a giant planet like Jupiter and that of a small star. Unlike a normal star a brown dwarf never becomes massive enough to create the pressure in its centre to begin hydrogen fusion and 'switch on'. All normal stars, such as the Sun, shine due to the energy released by hydrogen fusion at their centre.
A brown dwarf must be less than about 8 per cent of the mass of the Sun in order not to burn hydrogen (or about 80 times the mass of Jupiter).
Professor Ward-Thompson’s research was published in Science, the world's leading journal of original scientific research, global news, and commentary on 6 July 2012.
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