James Webb Telescope Uncovers Young Brown Dwarfs in Flame Nebula

Astronomers use Webb's infrared capabilities to explore the lowest mass limits of star and brown dwarf formation in a star-forming region 1,400 light-years away.

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed young brown dwarfs, or 'failed stars,' in the dense and dusty Flame Nebula, located 1,400 light-years from Earth.
Brown dwarfs, which are too small to sustain hydrogen fusion, were observed as faint infrared glows, with some as small as two to three times the mass of Jupiter.
This study significantly narrows the theorized mass limit for star and brown dwarf formation, finding fewer objects below three Jupiter masses and none below two Jupiter masses.
The findings build on decades of Hubble Space Telescope research, demonstrating Webb's enhanced ability to detect low-mass objects in star-forming regions.
Further research using Webb's spectroscopic tools aims to distinguish between low-mass brown dwarfs and planets, deepening our understanding of their formation processes.