Dwarf Star Displays Jupiter-Like Strong Storms

John Gizis of the University of Delaware, Newark, said the star they discovered is nearly the size of Jupiter, and its storm is the size of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

The temperature of W1906+40 is around 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, relatively cool by stellar standards and cool enough for clouds to form in its uppermost layers. In another star system, astronomers have spotted a cool, small star that’s been disturbed by a storm for two years now. The researchers have explained that some L-dwarfs are considered to be stars because upon fusing atoms, they generate light.

NASA scientists have discovered a star with an ongoing storm. This is the best evidence yet for a star with this type of storm, according to NASA. Although other planets besides Jupiter in our solar system are known to have storm in their atmospheres, this the first star known to have such a long-lasting storm. The star, named W1906+40, belongs to a group of stars called L-dwarfs.

The L-dwarf in the study, W1906+40, is thought to be a star based on estimates of its age (the older the L-dwarf, the more likely it is a star). Therefore, their atmospheres can become stratified (layered) and possess very planet-like phenomena such as clouds and, in this case, powerful storms.

The Spitzer observations proved the rotating dark feature is not being driven by magnetism, which ruled out sunspots.

The cloud the astronomers suspect is there would be large enough to fit three Earths and “rotates around the star about every nine hours”.

Using infrared measurements, the astronomers determined the dip was being caused by the massive storm.

Currently, the researchers hope to examine other brown dwarfs to look for other storms on stars. Gizis is the lead author of a new study about the storm that appears in The Astrophysical Journal. The Spitzer telescope has observed cloudy brown dwarves before.

It goes to show that the moniker “failed star” may be a misnomer; perhaps brown dwarfs should in fact be known as “overachieving planets”.