HUBBLE ATLAS
Forecast for Exotic Weather — image from the Hubble Space Telescope

Stars

Forecast for Exotic Weather

January 8, 2013 · NASA

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This artist's conception illustrates the brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026. NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes observed the object to learn more about its turbulent atmosphere. Brown dwarfs are more massive and hotter than planets but lack the mass required to become sizzling stars. Their atmospheres can be similar to the giant planet Jupiter's.

Hubble and Spitzer simultaneously observed the object as it rotated every 90 minutes. The results suggest wind-driven, planet-size clouds.