brown dwarf

noun

: a celestial object that is much smaller than a normal star and has insufficient mass to sustain nuclear fusion but that is hot enough to radiate energy especially at infrared wavelengths

Examples of brown dwarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Examples can be seen as small red patches all across this view of Chamaeleon I. The most recent census of Chamaeleon I, by Penn State University astronomer Kevin Luhman in 2017, found about 50 new stars and brown dwarfs, bringing the total population of Chamaeleon I up to 226 members. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 June 2025 The new brown dwarfs also exhibit signals from an unidentified hydrocarbon, a chemical compound composed solely of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 June 2025 However, in this case, there are two brown dwarfs involved here. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Apr. 2025 Evidence for a polar circumbinary exoplanet orbiting a pair of eclipsing brown dwarfs. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brown dwarf

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brown dwarf was in 1975

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Cite this Entry

“Brown dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20dwarf. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

brown dwarf

noun
: an object in space that is much smaller and dimmer than a normal star
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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