Question

A brown dwarf is a(n)

A) object intermediate between a planet and a star, with not enough mass to begin nuclear reactions in its core.
B) general name for an object similar to the planet Jupiter.
C) star whose blackbody spectrum peaks in the brown region of the visible spectrum.
D) star of less than about 1.5 solar masses at the very end of its life, after it has cooled to near invisibility.

Answer 1

A brown dwarf is an object intermediate between a planet and a star, with not enough mass to begin nuclear reactions in its core. It falls within a specific mass range and is capable of deuterium fusion, but not hydrogen fusion.

Step-by-step explanation:

A brown dwarf is a celestial object intermediate in size between a planet and a star. It has not enough mass to begin nuclear reactions in its core, so it falls between the mass range of about 1/100 of the mass of the Sun up to the lower mass limit for self-sustaining nuclear reactions, which is about 1/12 the mass of the Sun. Brown dwarfs are capable of deuterium fusion, but not hydrogen fusion, making them different from true stars.