WISE 0350−5658
Brown dwarf in the constellation Reticulum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WISE J035000.32−565830.2 (designation abbreviated to WISE 0350−5658) is a (sub-)brown dwarf of spectral class Y1,[2] located in constellation Reticulum, the nearest known star/brown dwarf in this constellation. Being approximately 18.5 light-years from Earth,[3] it is one of the Sun's nearest neighbors.
Location of WISE 0350−5658 in the constellation Reticulum | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox ICRS | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Reticulum[1] |
| Right ascension | 03h 50m 00.32s[2] |
| Declination | −56° 58′ 30.2″[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | Y1[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (J (MKO-NIR filter system)) | >22.8[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (H (MKO-NIR filter system)) | >21.5[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −208.7±1.0 mas/yr[3] Dec.: −575.4±1.1 mas/yr[3] |
| Parallax (π) | 176.4±2.3 mas[3] |
| Distance | 18.5 ± 0.2 ly (5.67 ± 0.07 pc) |
| Details | |
| Temperature | 388±88[3] K |
| Other designations | |
| WISE J035000.32−565830.2,[2] WISE 0350−5658[2] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Discovery

WISE 0350−5658 was discovered in 2012 by J. Davy Kirkpatrick and colleagues from data collected by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) in the infrared at a wavelength of 40 cm (16 in), whose mission lasted from December 2009 to February 2011. In 2012, Kirkpatrick et al. published a paper in The Astrophysical Journal, where they presented the discovery of seven new brown dwarfs of spectral type Y that had been found by WISE, among which was WISE 0350−5658.[2]
Distance
WISE 0350−5658 is one of the nearest known brown dwarfs: its trigonometric parallax is 0.184 ± 0.010 arcsecond, corresponding to a direct distance of 5.4 pc (17.7 ly).[4]
Physical properties
WISE 0350−5658 was observed together with WISEP J1738+2732 with the Gemini Observatory. The researchers found that non-equilibrium chemistry models reproduce the spectra of these two brown dwarfs better than equilibrium models. The researchers also found an effective temperature of 350±25 K and surface gravity of log g=4.0±0.25 for WISE 0350−5658. A mass of 7−9 MJ was estimated in this work.[5] Later work using the Spitzer Space Telescope and J-band photometry found that WISE 0350−5658 has a low tangential velocity, could be metal-rich and also found a similar mass of 3−8 MJ. These properties could be an indicator that it is a young Y-dwarf, and might be a rogue planet.[6] Another work using Hubble found a slightly higher mass of 7−13 MJ.[7]
See also
The other six discoveries of brown dwarfs, published in Kirkpatrick et al. (2012):[2]
- WISE 0146+4234 (Y0)
- WISE 0359−5401 (Y0)
- WISE 0535−7500 (≥Y1)
- WISE 0713−2917 (Y0)
- WISE 0734−7157 (Y0)
- WISE 2220−3628 (Y0)