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Brown dwarfs are relatively cool, dim objects that are difficult to detect and hard to classify. They are too massive to be planets, yet possess some planet-like characteristics. For example, they are too small to sustain hydrogen fusion reactions at their cores, a defining characteristic of stars, yet they have star-like attributes.
Astronomers say brown dwarfs behave more like planets than stars. By observing a brown dwarf 20 light-years away using both radio and optical telescopes, a research team has found another feature that makes these so-called failed stars more like supersized planets—they host powerful auroras near their magnetic poles.Image credit: Chuck Carter and Gregg Hallinan/Caltech
