Measuring Brown Dwarfs have given rise to questions about these failed stars and planet discoveries.
The brown dwarf is named AB Dor C. It orbits the star AB Doradus A (also called AB Dor A) at a little more than twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Brown dwarfs, especially when they are young, give off heat, which can be detected as infrared radiation. But AB Dor C is 120 times fainter than its host star even in the near-infrared. Close and his European colleagues developed a high-contrast camera on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The setup uses adaptive optics, which corrects for the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere to sift through the glare of the main star.
The companion's exact location, along with the star's known wobble, were used to accurately determine the brown dwarf's mass, said team member Jose Guirado of the University of Valencia in Spain.
"Theory predicts that this low-mass, cool object would be about 50 Jupiter masses," Close said. "But theory is incorrect: This object is between 88-98 Jupiter masses. This discovery will force astronomers to rethink what masses of the smallest objects produced in nature really are."
Though just a single observation, the result could have "wide potential ramifications" if other studies yield similar findings, said I. Neill Reid, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
"The supposed objects of 1-2 Jupiter masses might in fact exceed 15-20 Jupiter masses," said Reid, who wrote an analysis of the finding for the journal.
Makes yer think, don't it? :)
Chew It
Speaking of Failed Stars... What is it about Leyton Hewitt that inspires so little love? Is he Australia's least favourite Tennis star? Could it be possible that he is liked even less than Mark Phillippoussis? It's probably because he does shit like this.
At 7-7, and having already saved a set point, Hewitt produced a superb volleyed lob that left Blake stranded at the net, a shot so perfectly executed the American could merely stand paralysed and clap his hand on his racquet. And there Blake stayed, standing and clapping for what seemed like minutes, waiting for Hewitt to respond - to put up a hand, flash a smile or simply acknowledge he was part of a great match with a worthy opponent.
But Hewitt had already turned his back and was engaged in his traditional fist waving, heart-thumping orgy of self-congratulation. He turned not to Blake but to the salivating Fanatics occupying the 14 seats Hewitt had provided for them. And so an instant when two athletes could have acknowledged each other's contribution to a special moment became another piece of cheap, jingoistic theatre.
Australian tennis might be 50 years behind according to Pat Cash, but I thought that might have been a good thing when it came to sportsmanship. The above description is just embarrrassing. Not that such moments really amount to much in the record books, but it's just awful to know that people witnesed it. You wouldn't want your kids behaving like that in any sport.
- Art Neuro
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