2MASS 0939-2448
Encyclopedia
2MASS 0939-2448 is probably a binary system consisting of two brown dwarf
s. The object belongs to the spectral class T8, lies in the constellation Antlia
and is about 17 light years away from Earth
. It was identified as a brown dwarf through analysis of data from the 2MASS
survey by Tinney et al. (Publication 2005). Model calculations suggest that it is a system of two brown dwarfs with effective temperatures of about 500 and 700 K and masses of about 25 and 40 Jupiter masses, it is also possible that it is a pair of identical objects with temperatures of 600 K and 30 Jupiter masses. The components of the system are presumed to be the coolest known brown dwarfs.
Brown dwarf
Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...
s. The object belongs to the spectral class T8, lies in the constellation Antlia
Antlia
Antlia is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name means "pump" and it specifically represents an air pump. The stars comprising Antlia are faint, and the constellation was not created until the 18th century...
and is about 17 light years away from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It was identified as a brown dwarf through analysis of data from the 2MASS
2MASS
Observations for the Two Micron All-Sky Survey began in 1997 and were completed in 2001 at two telescopes located one each in the northern and southern hemispheres to ensure coverage of the entire sky...
survey by Tinney et al. (Publication 2005). Model calculations suggest that it is a system of two brown dwarfs with effective temperatures of about 500 and 700 K and masses of about 25 and 40 Jupiter masses, it is also possible that it is a pair of identical objects with temperatures of 600 K and 30 Jupiter masses. The components of the system are presumed to be the coolest known brown dwarfs.
External links
- Tinney et al.: „The 2MASS wide-field T dwarf search. IV. Hunting out T dwarfs with methane imaging.“; in: The Astronomical Journal, Vol. 130, Issue 5, S. 2326ff. (2005)
- Burgasser et al.: „2MASS J09393548-2448279: The Coldest and Least Luminous Brown Dwarf Binary Known?“; in: The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 689, Issue 1, S. L53-L56 (2008)
- Leggett et al.: „The Physical Properties of Four ~600 K T Dwarfs“; in: The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 695, Issue 2, S. 1517ff. (2009)