Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs

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What are Exoplanets?

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Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system.

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What is a Brown Dwarf?

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A brown dwarf is a substellar object that is too massive to be considered a planet but not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion like a star.

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What is a Hot Jupiter?

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A Hot Jupiter is a type of exoplanet that is similar in characteristics to Jupiter but orbits very close to its star, resulting in high surface temperatures.

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What is a Super Earth?

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A Super Earth is an exoplanet with a mass larger than Earth's but significantly less than that of Uranus or Neptune.

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What is the significance of Deuterium fusion in Brown Dwarfs?

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Brown dwarfs more massive than about 13 times Jupiter's mass can fuse deuterium, which is a heavier isotope of hydrogen.

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Who coined the term 'Brown Dwarfs'?

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The term 'brown dwarfs' was coined by astronomer Jill Tarter.

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What is the temperature range of Brown Dwarfs?

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Brown dwarfs have temperatures ranging from about 300 K to 2000 K.

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What is the difference between a planet and a brown dwarf?

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The main difference is that brown dwarfs can fuse deuterium and are more massive than planets, while planets cannot sustain fusion.

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What are Ice Giants?

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Ice giants are a category of planets that are larger than Earth but smaller than gas giants, primarily composed of water, ammonia, and methane ices.

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What is the role of the Kepler Space Telescope?

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The Kepler Space Telescope was designed to discover Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zones of their stars.