Conversation

🤬 the IAU needs to be stopped. It’s gone mad with power over planet definitions. Brown dwarfs should be considered Assistant Regional Stars.
Quote Tweet
According to the IAU's new working definition, brown dwarfs orbiting a sufficiently massive star are now considered to be exoplanets. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) arxiv.org/abs/2203.09520
Show this thread
Image
Replying to
In this case it's me who got it wrong! I misunderstood the new definition.
Quote Tweet
Replying to @galaxy_map and @HZwartemeer
The IAU definition includes a mass upper limit, the mass at which deuterium fusion begins (approx 13 Jupiter masses). The "new" thing (2018) is that objects orbiting brown dwarfs can be exoplanets if the mass ratio criterion is met. Brown dwarfs still aren't exoplanets.
1
2
Show more replies