What is a brown dwarf?
Q: What is a brown dwarf?
A: A brown dwarf is an object made of the same materials as stars, but they lack enough mass for hydrogen fusion, which is what makes stars glow, meaning they are not regular stars.
Q: Why are brown dwarfs not considered regular giant planets?
A: Brown dwarfs are not considered regular giant planets because they do glow, which is not a characteristic of giant planets.
Q: Why are brown dwarfs hard to find?
A: Brown dwarfs are hard to find because of their small absolute magnitude, despite there being many.
Q: What is the range of a brown dwarf's mass?
A: The mass of a brown dwarf ranges between the heaviest gas giants and the lightest stars, with an upper limit around 75 to 80 times the mass of Jupiter.
Q: What happens when a brown dwarf has a mass over 13 MJ?
A: When a brown dwarf fuses deuterium, it is believed to have a mass over 13 MJ.
Q: What happens when a brown dwarf has a mass above ~65 MJ?
A: Brown dwarfs that have a mass above ~65 MJ are believed to fuse lithium as well.
Q: What color would most brown dwarfs appear as to the human eye?
A: Despite being named "brown" dwarfs, most of them would appear magenta to the human eye.
