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Object Defies Categorization As Planet or Star

Posted by timothy on from the stella-incognito dept.

Kligat writes "The COROT project of the French Space Agency has detected an object described as defying categorization as a planet, star, or brown dwarf. Although only 0.8 times the radius of Jupiter, it is over 20 times as massive, giving it a density twice that of the metal platinum. If it is a star, it would be the smallest of those ever discovered."

4 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. it's dark matter by ILuvRamen · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Well assuming it isn't as simple as "well it does/doesn't give off light so it is/isn't a star" even though I have no idea why it's not that simple, I'd say it's a good candidate for what most dark matter is. If it doesn't give off light and isn't close enough to a star to be seen (I mean this one is buy others like it) then it's dark, effectively invisible matter. If a nebula comes together from gravity and it's a really, really small nebula, it could form one of these instead of a star and we simply wouldn't be able to see it. Sounds like an explanation for the missing matter to me.

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  2. Re:It's a Dwarf! by PakProtector · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Dear Gods. Maybe it's a black dwarf. A dead star that burned through all its nuclear fuel long ago and has since cooled.

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  3. Re:It's a Dwarf! by Goobermunch · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If it is, we're going to have to reevaluate the age of the universe.

    Theoretically speaking, it should take longer than the current estimated age of the universe for a star to go through the evolution to red giant to white dwarf to black dwarf.

    If it is a black dwarf, that'd be flipping cool.

    --AC

  4. And the possible other exoplanet? by delibes · · Score: 3, Interesting

    OK, dense large planet, interesting... hang on, what about the other bit in the article?!
    Other signals detected by the satellite could also indicate the existence of another exoplanet with a radius 1.7 times that of Earth's.
    The little green men are getting more likely all the time...

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