Astronomers have been puzzling over how to classify brown dwarfs since they were first discovered in 1995. So far, observations have shown that they fall somewhere between stars and planets in terms of mass, temperature, luminosity, and other properties. Two new studies lend insight into the formation of brown dwarfs and indicate that these mysterious objects are more like failed stars than planets.

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European scientists recently used a telescope instrument called the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), to measure the chemical content of 500 stars similar to the Sun, some with known planetary systems and others without. They discovered that all the stars that host planets have a curious characteristic in common with our Sun: low levels of the element lithium. While much more remains to learned about why stars with planets share this trait, researchers are heartened that they could use HARPS and similar instruments to quickly find other planets beyond our Solar System.

View the latest Astro Bulletin on the find below:

To learn about other recent astronomical discoveries, visit the Science Bulletins website.

A new series of telescope images taken with conventional cameras, high-resolution ground telescopes, and the Hubble Space Telescope show glittering details of this colorful star cluster in the Southern Cross constellation.

To learn about other recent astronomical discoveries, visit the Science Bulletins website.