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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Dim stars that have failed at fusion are masters of spin

Three brown dwarfs whirl on their axes at a dizzying rate that might be close to the celestial speed limit for these bodies.
Illustration of a brown dwarf

A rapidly spinning brown dwarf (pictured, artist’s impression) tends to have narrow atmospheric bands; the faster the spin, the thinner the bands. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astronomers have caught three brown dwarfs spinning at the fastest rates ever recorded for these objects, which are sometimes described as ‘failed stars’.

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Nature 593, 10 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01122-8

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