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Rogue Brown Dwarf Lurks In Our Cosmic Neighborhood

Posted by Soulskill on from the brown-dwarf-rogue-lurks-in-ironforge dept.

astroengine writes "The UK Infrared Telescope in Hawaii has discovered a lone, cool brown dwarf called UGPSJ0722-05. As far as sub-stellar objects go, this is a strange one. For starters, it's the coolest brown dwarf ever discovered (and astronomers using the UKIRT should know; they are making a habit of finding cool brown dwarfs). Secondly, it's close. In fact, it's the closest brown dwarf to Earth, at a distance of only 10 light years. And thirdly, it has an odd spectroscopic signature, leading astronomers to think that this might be the discovery of a whole new class of brown dwarf."

11 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. They probably.... by ArcadeNut · · Score: 1, Funny

    Just need to clean their telescope!

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  2. Hmmm... by chadplusplus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ten light years away... How far out does the Oort cloud extend? Its NEMESIS!!

  3. It's going to get us! by SailorSpork · · Score: 2, Funny

    I like how the title implies that having "rogue" brown dwarf "lurking" close by is some sort of security threat. WATCH OUT, IT MAY HAVE WMD'S!!!!!111one

    I think we should greet it with open arms and set up McDonald's and Starbuck's franchises as soon as we can to show it that we welcome it as a neighbor!

    1. Re:It's going to get us! by MiniMike · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think we should greet it with open arms and set up McDonald's and Starbuck's franchises as soon as we can to show it that we welcome it as a neighbor!

      That will only greatly increase its mass and make it more dangerous!

    2. Re:It's going to get us! by myowntrueself · · Score: 1, Funny

      OMG, how come it's always the BROWN dwarves that scare people so much, and nobody ever seems to worry about the white ones?

      Well since its a BROWN one you can expect that the US military will bomb it any time now!

      Thats their job in the world; if its brown bomb the fuck out of it!

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  4. Unstable Planets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If this brown dwarf is truly "rogue" and "lurking in our cosmic neighborhood", then there's only one way to deal with it.

  5. Gimli is in space? by DRAGONWEEZEL · · Score: 4, Funny

    He's the coolest brown dwarf I know of too, but how did he get out there?

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    How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
    1. Re:Gimli is in space? by swanzilla · · Score: 3, Funny

      He's the coolest brown dwarf I know of too...

      What you talkin' 'bout Willis?

      --
      0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
  6. Re:thats actually really close... by ushering05401 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Slowdown? We won't get military support that way, therefore no funding. We smash something into it at maximum speed and let the military gather transport and devastation metrics from a collision involving speeds never before recorded by human instruments.

    Then the astronomers study the ejecta, the engineers review vehicle performance metrics, the doomsday prophets rework their asteroid impact models, the cosmologists continue to try to convince their mother-in-laws that they really are cosmologists despite not knowing anything about t-zones, foundation blending, manicuring, waxing.... and no, that doesn't mean they went to a bad 'school of cosmology.'

  7. Re:Perception... by ShadowRangerRIT · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hate you, and wish to burn your newsletter.

    --
    $_ = "wftedskaebjgdpjgidbsmnjgcdwatb"; tr/a-z/oh, turtleneck Phrase Jar!/; print
  8. Re:Cue the Nibiru quacks by corbettw · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or why some kids think they won't live past their 21st birthday.

    I know one kid who won't live past his 13th birthday if he doesn't get his Math grade up!

    --
    God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.