We have today published ESO Press Release 14/02 (with two photos)
about observations of eight Brown Dwarfs, i.e., small and faint
objects also known as “failed stars”, with the TIMMI2 instrument at
the 3.6-m telescope on La Silla.
From two of these, mid-infrared radiation is detected – for the first
time ever from such objects with a ground-based telescope. While the
younger Brown Dwarf, aged a few million years, is found to be
surrounded by a dusty disk, no warm dust is present around the older
ones.
These observations support the hypothesis that Brown Dwarfs are born
in the same way as “real” stars, by contraction in interstellar clouds
of gas and dust.
You will find the text and the photos at:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2002/pr-14-02.html
