New Star Discovered – Coldest Yet Close To The Sun

An astronomer from Penn State University has discovered a star with a temperature equivalent to that recorded at the North Pole. Data were acquired using the NASA telescopes Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The object is identified as a brown dwarf and exhibits the lowest temperature measured in its category. The star is located 7.2 light years away and is the fourth closest system to the Sun.
Its proximity should result in higher temperature readings; consequently, the data will assist in the quantitative analysis of other nearby systems.

Kevin Luhman, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State University and researcher at the Penn State Centre for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, stated that the temperature measurements of the star will assist in studying the atmospheres of planets with corresponding thermal conditions.

Brown dwarfs, so termed because they possess attributes of both large planets and small stars, originate from the collapse of gas clouds. They do not acquire the minimum mass required to initiate nuclear fusion and emit significant visible light.

With temperatures ranging from –54°F to 9°F (equivalent to –48°C to –13°C), the object designated WISE J085510.83-071442.5 is among the brown dwarfs with the lowest measured temperatures.

Due to the low temperature measurements, scientists doubt the existence of life forms in the vicinity of the star. Its proximity to the solar system does not render it a practical target for near-future space missions, given that the associated costs outweigh the potential returns.

Data acquired by the NASA probe WISE indicate that the brown dwarf exhibits a high proper motion. Consequently, Professor Luhman observed that bodies in closer proximity display greater apparent movement in images captured several months apart.

The high proper motion was not readily detectable. WISE conducted two complete surveys of the sky and additional observations in select regions using infrared imaging. Infrared detection is the sole method to identify brown dwarfs because their thermal emissions are insufficient for detection with visible-light telescopes.

Further analyses determined that WISE J085510.83-071442.5 has a mass between 3 and 10 times that of Jupiter. Consequently, scientists classified it as a brown dwarf rather than a planet.