Discovery of a Rare Quadruple Star System

One of the firsts in our galaxy is a quadruple star system named UPM J1040-3551 AabBab . The system has two young red dwarf stars and is matched by two cold brown dwarfs giving a hierarchical arrangement that is not common.

What Makes It Unique?

The multiple-star systems include most of the bright stars only. Conversely, this finding is extraordinary since brown dwarfs - so called failed stars- hardly ever have companions and are hardly ever observed in such multi-star associations. In this case, there are two brown dwarfs that revolve around a couple of red dwarfs, thus a unique system.

Brown Dwarfs: Failed Stars

• Shape of stars but not massive enough to go through prolonged hydrogen fusion.
• Mass up to 70 times that of Jupiter.
• Equity with gas giants, such as thick, cloudy cover.
• Extremely faint under the visible light because of low temperatures, and thus difficult to notice.

Why Is It Hard to Detect Them?

Brown dwarfs do not shine brightly and thus in most cases astronomers tend to observe them through their bright star companions. The red dwarfs, in this system, serve as points of reference to enable scientists to estimate the age, temperature and chemistry of the brown dwarfs.

Scientific Significance

• Proposes a natural laboratory in which both stars and substellar objects can be studied on a common basis.
• Brings some light to the history of the brown dwarfs who have always been one of the greatest mysteries of astronomy.
• The first system to have been discovered that contains two T-type brown dwarfs , and as such, is particularly rare.

Broader Implications

The study of these systems enhances knowledge on the formation of the stars and planets , and the distribution of mass in the universe. The low-mass objects such as brown dwarfs can therefore fill gaps in the dark matter and galaxy structure since they can comprise a substantial but not directly known fraction of the cosmic matter.

Conclusion

A key recent advance in stellar astronomy is the discovery of UPM J1040-3551 AabBab . It brings two bright red dwarfs and faint brown dwarfs into one system and opens the door to the research of the variety and sophistication of the sky structures.