2MASS J09373487+2931409

Brown dwarfs are like stars, but they are not big enough to shine brightly like our Sun. They give off a faint glow that can be seen with special telescopes.

This brown dwarf belongs to a group called spectral class T6, which means it is very cool compared to most stars. It is located in the constellation Leo, which is shaped like a lion and can be seen in the night sky.

Scientists figured out that 2MASS J09373487+2931409 is about 19.96 light-years from Earth. That means if light from this object were to travel to our planet, it would take almost 20 years to get here! Studying objects like this helps us learn more about the different kinds of stars and objects in space.

Discovery

2MASS 0937+2931 was found in 2002 using data from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). Scientists used special cameras on big telescopes, such as the Palomar and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), to look at objects in space. This discovery helped scientists learn more about brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs look like stars but are not big enough to shine by themselves.

Distance

The distance to 2MASS 0937+2931 is known through a method called trigonometric parallax. The best measurement, from 2009, shows it is about 19.96 light-years from Earth. An earlier measurement from 2004 was less exact but gave a similar answer.

Properties

2MASS 0937+2931 is a special kind of object called a brown dwarf. It looks like a star but is not hot enough to shine brightly. Its spectrum looks unusual, which might mean it has fewer metals in its atmosphere. Scientists think its temperature is about 800 Kelvin. According to the Research Consortium On Nearby Stars, this brown dwarf has a mass of about 0.03 times that of the Sun, or 0.03 solar masses. In 2014, no changes in its brightness were seen.