Month: July 2025

MASS RANGE FOR BROWN DWARFS: Brown dwarfs typically have masses between 13 and 80 times that of Jupiter, too small to sustain nuclear fusion.

INFRARED EMISSION OF BROWN DWARFS: Brown dwarfs are best observed in infrared wavelengths, as their low temperatures emit mostly infrared radiation.

STAR FORMATION AND BROWN DWARFS: Brown dwarfs form like stars but lack the mass necessary to initiate hydrogen fusion.

BROWN DWARF: A substellar object with insufficient mass to sustain hydrogen fusion in its core, often referred to as a “failed star.”

HELIUM WHITE DWARF: A white dwarf composed primarily of helium, typically formed from stars that were not massive enough to undergo carbon fusion.

CARBON-OXYGEN WHITE DWARF: A type of white dwarf composed primarily of carbon and oxygen, formed from stars with masses up to about 8 solar masses.

COOLING OF WHITE DWARFS: Over time, white dwarfs gradually lose heat and fade, eventually becoming cold and dark remnants.

ELECTRON DEGENERACY: The pressure created by the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which prevents electrons from being squeezed into the same state within a white dwarf.

CHANDRASEKHAR LIMIT: The maximum mass (about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun) that a white dwarf can have before it can no longer support itself against gravitational collapse.

DEGENERACY PRESSURE: The quantum mechanical pressure exerted by particles, such as electrons, that prevents a white dwarf from collapsing further under gravity.