Urdu Report Desk
Astronomers in the United States have directly confirmed changes in the thickness of water clouds on a cold, Jupiter-sized brown dwarf, marking an important advance in understanding weather and atmospheric systems beyond our solar system.
According to research published in The Astrophysical Journal, a team led by University of Arizona astronomer Brittany Miles observed the brown dwarf for 11 hours using the James Webb Space Telescope.
The celestial object is located approximately 7.5 light-years from Earth and is among the coldest brown dwarfs discovered so far, with a temperature of around 265 kelvin.
What Is a Brown Dwarf?
Brown dwarfs are celestial objects more massive than planets but not massive enough to sustain the nuclear fusion processes that power stars. They occupy an intermediate category between planets and stars.
Changes in Water Clouds and Atmospheric Activity
According to the study, water clouds in the brown dwarf’s atmosphere become thicker and thinner as the object rotates. Chemical gases from deeper layers of its atmosphere also move upward through thermal processes.
These variations provide scientists with an opportunity to examine how atmospheric conditions change over time on distant celestial objects.
How the James Webb Space Telescope Helped
The research team recorded the spectrum of light emitted by the brown dwarf every 15 minutes during the 11-hour observation period.
This detailed monitoring enabled the scientists to track atmospheric variations and study changes in the object’s cloud structure.
Significance of the Discovery
Scientists say the findings represent an important step towards understanding weather patterns and atmospheric processes on celestial objects outside our solar system.
The research could also help astronomers improve their understanding of the atmospheres of other distant worlds and the physical processes that shape their environments.
