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Brown Dwarf 2M1207A and Companion
[Left] – This is a Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared-light image of a brown dwarf located 170 light-years away from Earth. The object is no more than 30 times the mass of Jupiter, making it too small to sustain nuclear fusion to shine as a star.
[Right] – When the glow of the brown dwarf is subtracted from the image, a smaller and fainter companion object becomes visible. No more that four times the mass of Jupiter, this companion is dubbed a "super-Jupiter." It has an estimated diameter as big as 40 percent greater than Jupiter's diameter. The world is 5 billion miles from the brown dwarf, nearly twice the distance between our sun and the planet Neptune.
Because the planet is only 10 million years old, it is so hot it may rain molten glass and iron in its atmosphere. Hubble has measured fluctuations in the planet's brightness that suggests the planet has patchy clouds as it completes one rotation every 10 hours.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.12h 7m 33.46s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.39° 32' 53.99"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Centaurus
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.170 light-years (52.4 parsecs)
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The HST data were taken from proposals 13418: D. Apai, and G. Schneider (Steward Observatory/University of Arizona), M. Kasper (European Southern Observatory, Germany), A. Showman (University of Arizona), and M. Marley (NASA Ames Research Center). The science team comprises :Y. Zhou, D. Apai, and G. Schneider (Steward Observatory/University of Arizona), M. Marley (NASA Ames Research Center), and A. Showman (University of Arizona). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/IR
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.April 11, 2014
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F125W (J) and F160W (H)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.2M1207, 2MASS J12073346-3932539, 2M1207A and 2M1207b
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Super-Jupiter around a Brown Dwarf
- Release DateFebruary 18, 2016
- Science ReleaseHubble Directly Measures Rotation of Cloudy ‘Super-Jupiter’
- Credits
This image was originally black and white and recorded only overall brightness from the F160W (H) filter. These brightness values were translated into a range of reddish hues. Such color "maps" can be useful in helping to distinguish subtly varying brightness in an image.
Related Images & Videos
Artist's View of a Super-Jupiter around a Brown Dwarf (2M1207)
This is an illustration of a planet that is four times the mass of Jupiter and orbits 5 billion miles from a brown-dwarf companion (the bright red object seen in the background). The rotation rate of this "super-Jupiter" has been measured by studying subtle variations in the...
Artist's View of a Super-Jupiter around a Brown Dwarf (Annotated)
This is an illustration of a planet that is four times the mass of Jupiter and orbits 5 billion miles from a brown dwarf companion object (the bright red star seen in the background). The rotation rate of this "super-Jupiter" has been measured by studying subtle variations in...
Photometry of Super-Jupiter 2M1207b
This graph plots small changes in the infrared brightness of a super-Jupiter as measured by the Hubble Space Telescope. The S-shaped curve is extrapolated from the data points. Its sinusoidal shape suggests that brightness changes are a result of a 10-hour rotation period...
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Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
