Artist's rendition of brown dwarf 2MASS J22081363+2921215 (IMAGE)
Caption
Artist’s concept of 2MASS J22081363+2921215, a nearby brown dwarf. Though only roughly 115 light-years away, the brown dwarf is too distant for any atmospheric features to be photographed. Instead, researchers used W. M. Keck Observatory’s MOSFIRE instrument to study the colors and brightness variations of the brown dwarf’s layer-cake cloud structure, as seen in near-infrared light. MOSFIRE also collected the spectral fingerprints of various chemical elements contained in the clouds and how they change over time.
Credit
NASA, ESA, STScI, Leah Hustak (STScI), Greg T. Bacon (STScI)
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