Meet WD0032-317B — the hottest brown dwarf ever discovered, with daytime temperatures soaring to 9,800 K… that's hotter than the surface of our Sun!
Orbiting a blazing-hot white dwarf 1,400 light-years away, this gas giant completes a full orbit in just 2.3 hours. It's tidally locked, meaning its day side is scorched by radiation while its night side chills by nearly 6,000 degrees in contrast.
Quick Facts:
Mass: 75–88 times that of Jupiter
Host star: 37,000 K white dwarf
Night side: 1,300–3,000 K
UV radiation is literally tearing its atmosphere apart
This fiery find gives us a rare glimpse into what happens when a gas giant gets way too close to a stellar remnant.
Could brown dwarfs like this blur the line between planets and stars?
Published in Nature Astronomy (2023)
Title: “An irradiated-Jupiter analogue hotter than the Sun”
By: Na’ama Hallakoun et al.
Orbiting a blazing-hot white dwarf 1,400 light-years away, this gas giant completes a full orbit in just 2.3 hours. It's tidally locked, meaning its day side is scorched by radiation while its night side chills by nearly 6,000 degrees in contrast.
Quick Facts:
Mass: 75–88 times that of Jupiter
Host star: 37,000 K white dwarf
Night side: 1,300–3,000 K
UV radiation is literally tearing its atmosphere apart
This fiery find gives us a rare glimpse into what happens when a gas giant gets way too close to a stellar remnant.
Could brown dwarfs like this blur the line between planets and stars?
Published in Nature Astronomy (2023)
Title: “An irradiated-Jupiter analogue hotter than the Sun”
By: Na’ama Hallakoun et al.
Meet WD0032-317B — the hottest brown dwarf ever discovered, with daytime temperatures soaring to 9,800 K… that's hotter than the surface of our Sun!
Orbiting a blazing-hot white dwarf 1,400 light-years away, this gas giant completes a full orbit in just 2.3 hours. It's tidally locked, meaning its day side is scorched by radiation while its night side chills by nearly 6,000 degrees in contrast.
Quick Facts:
Mass: 75–88 times that of Jupiter
Host star: 37,000 K white dwarf
Night side: 1,300–3,000 K
UV radiation is literally tearing its atmosphere apart
This fiery find gives us a rare glimpse into what happens when a gas giant gets way too close to a stellar remnant.
Could brown dwarfs like this blur the line between planets and stars?
Published in Nature Astronomy (2023)
Title: “An irradiated-Jupiter analogue hotter than the Sun”
By: Na’ama Hallakoun et al.
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