Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. who specializes in science, space, physics, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, quantum mechanics and technology. Rob's articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space and ZME Science.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope , astronomers have made the surprising discovery of methane emissions coming from a brown dwarf, or"failed star."
Related: James Webb telescope finds origins of the biggest explosion since the Big Bang — revealing a new cosmological mystery By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Why do some stars fail?Brown dwarfs get their unfortunate nickname"failed stars" because, despite forming directly from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust like a star, they don't have enough mass to trigger the nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium at their cores.
"We were pleasantly shocked when the model clearly predicted a temperature inversion," team member and University of Hertfordshire scientist Ben Burningham said in the statement."But we also had to figure out where that extra upper atmosphere heat was coming from."
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