1. DISCOVERY OF LOW MASS OBJECTS IN TAURUS
- Author
-
Z. Ninkov, James D. Garnett, Mark A. Shure, William J. Forrest, and M. F. Skrutskie
- Subjects
Physics ,Solar mass ,Proper motion ,Stellar mass ,Young stellar object ,Brown dwarf ,Astronomy ,Astrophysics ,Low Mass ,Stellar classification ,Luminosity - Abstract
In infrared (2.2 micron, K-band) search of small regions (25 in square) near 26 members of the Taurus star-forming association has revealed 20 dim (K = 13-16 mag) stellar objects near 13 of them. Of these 20 objects, 9 are exceptionally red. It is argued that these 9 are probably also Taurus members. From the luminosities (0.4 to 4 times 10 the -3 power luminosity) and ages (estimated at 10(exp 6) years), masses can be determined by reference to theoretical low-mass cooling curves. The masses are in the range 0.005 to 0.015 solar mass, i.e., low-mass brown dwarfs. Proper motion studies of 7 of the objects visible on the POSS plates conducted by Burton Jones establish that 4 are highly probable Taurus members while 1 is a possible member.
- Published
- 1990