Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Discovery of a young planetary-mass binary.

Ray Jayawardhana1, Valentin D Ivanov

  • 1Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8, Canada. rayjay@astro.utoronto.ca

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 5, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Astronomers discovered a wide binary system of two young, planetary-mass brown dwarfs. This ultra-low-mass binary challenges current brown dwarf formation theories.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A complex structure of escaping helium spanning more than half the orbit of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-121 b.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

TATOOINE'S FUTURE: THE ECCENTRIC RESPONSE OF <i>KEPLER</i>'S CIRCUMBINARY PLANETS TO COMMON-ENVELOPE EVOLUTION OF THEIR HOST STARS.

The Astrophysical journal·2020
Same author

DISCOVERY OF TWO VERY WIDE BINARIES WITH ULTRACOOL COMPANIONS AND A NEW BROWN DWARF AT THE L/T TRANSITION.

The Astronomical journal·2018
Same author

Coming soon: a supernova near you.

Scientific American·2014
Same author

The mystery of brown dwarf origins.

Scientific American·2006
Same author

Astronomy. Unraveling brown dwarf origins.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2004

Area of Science:

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Exoplanetary Science

Background:

  • Brown dwarfs are substellar objects more massive than planets but less massive than stars.
  • Planetary-mass brown dwarfs are brown dwarfs with masses comparable to giant planets.
  • Studying brown dwarf binaries provides insights into formation mechanisms and system evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize a potential binary system involving a young planetary-mass brown dwarf.
  • To determine the masses, age, and physical association of the components.
  • To test the validity of current brown dwarf formation models.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized observational data to resolve the Oph 162225-240515 system into two distinct objects.
  • Applied stellar/substellar evolution models to estimate masses and age.
  • Gathered evidence to confirm coevality and physical association.

Main Results:

  • Identified a resolved binary system, Oph 162225-240515, composed of two planetary-mass brown dwarfs.
  • Estimated masses of approximately 14 and 7 Jupiter masses for the primary and secondary, respectively.
  • Determined an age of approximately 1 million years and a wide separation of ~240 AU.

Conclusions:

  • The discovered wide, ultra-low-mass binary challenges popular brown dwarf formation models.
  • This system serves as a crucial test case for theories of substellar object formation.
  • Further investigation is needed to refine formation scenarios.

Related Experiment Videos