Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Flame Nebula, shedding light on the origins of “failed stars” – objects that are born like stars but fail to gather enough matter to reach the masses needed for fusion. The study found free-floating brown dwarfs with masses between 1.3% and 7.5% of the sun’s mass, which are hotter and brighter in their youth.
The JWST was able to pierce through thick gas and dust obscuring the Flame Nebula, allowing it to hunt down objects that were previously undetectable. The search uncovered brown dwarfs roughly two to three times the mass of Jupiter, with some possibly on the verge of becoming stellar fragments.
Researchers believe these findings may have revealed a lower mass limit for brown dwarf formation, potentially as low as 0.5 times the mass of Jupiter. This would imply that objects below a certain threshold are unlikely to exist in our galaxy unless they were formed as planets and ejected from planetary systems.
The study builds upon previous research by the Hubble Space Telescope, which identified prime targets for further investigation in the Flame Nebula. The JWST’s capabilities have enabled astronomers to probe previously inaccessible areas of star formation, providing valuable insights into the differences between stars and planets.
As researchers continue to study the Flame Nebula using the JWST, they aim to distinguish between objects that could be planets and those that are low-mass brown dwarfs. This research holds significant implications for our understanding of star formation and the origin of these enigmatic “failed stars.”
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-webb-space-telescope-investigates-100000135.html