AssetID: 54248347
Headline: RAW VIDEO: First Young Brown Dwarf Stars Located Outside Milky Way
Caption: Astronomers have discovered the first young brown dwarfs detected outside our galaxy on the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way located approximately 200,000 light-years from Earth. In this distant region lies the young star cluster NGC 602. The conditions in the local environment of this cluster are reminiscent of the early Universe, with low concentrations of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Dark clouds of dense dust and the presence of ionised gas suggest that star formation is actively occurring within the cluster. Alongside its associated HII region, known as N90, which contains clouds of ionised atomic hydrogen, NGC 602 offers an extraordinary opportunity to study star formation under conditions quite different from those in our solar neighbourhood. An international team of astronomers, including Peter Zeidler, Elena Sabbi, Elena Manjavacas, and Antonella Nota, has used the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) to observe NGC 602, identifying what they believe may be the first young brown dwarfs detected outside our galaxy. "Thanks to Webb's exceptional sensitivity and resolution in the appropriate wavelength range, we’ve been able to detect these objects at such vast distances," explained lead author Peter Zeidler of AURA/STScI for the European Space Agency. "This achievement is unprecedented and remains out of reach for ground-based telescopes in the foreseeable future." Brown dwarfs, which are larger than gas giant planets (typically ranging from about 13 to 75 times the mass of Jupiter, though sometimes lower), are not gravitationally bound to a star, unlike exoplanets. However, many brown dwarfs share characteristics with exoplanets, such as atmospheric composition and storm patterns. "Until now, we've identified around 3,000 brown dwarfs, all within our own galaxy," noted team member Elena Manjavacas from AURA/STScI for the European Space Agency. “This discovery underscores the power of combining both Hubble and Webb to study young stellar clusters,” explained Antonella Nota, executive director of the International Space Science Institute in Switzerland and former Webb Project Scientist for ESA. "Hubble previously revealed that NGC 602 hosts very young low-mass stars, but only with Webb can we finally observe the full extent and significance of substellar mass formation within the cluster. Together, Hubble and Webb form an incredibly powerful telescope duo." "Brown dwarfs appear to form much like stars but fail to accumulate enough mass to fully develop into stars," added Peter. "Our findings align well with this theory." The team’s observations include a stunning new image from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) of NGC 602. This image reveals the stars of the cluster, young stellar objects, and surrounding ridges of gas and dust. A significant number of background galaxies and other stars within the Small Magellanic Cloud are also visible. These observations were made in April 2023. “These are the first analogues to giant exoplanets ever found outside the Milky Way,” added Elena. “We should prepare for groundbreaking discoveries with these fascinating new objects!”
Keywords: jwst,james webb space telescope,feature,video,science,astronomy,brown dwarf
PersonInImage: