James Webb Telescope Stumbles Upon Surprising Brown Dwarf Phenomenon, Hinting at Potential Exomoon In a startling revelation, astronomers utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected unexpected methane emissions emanating from a brown dwarf, commonly referred to as a “failed star.” This groundbreaking finding raises the possibility of aurorae on the brown dwarf’s surface and even suggests the presence of a previously undiscovered exomoon in orbit. The discovery is particularly remarkable considering that brown dwarfs, characterized by their cold and solitary nature, are typically not anticipated to emit enough heat for methane to produce infrared light. The revelation emerged from the JWST’s investigation into a dozen brown dwarfs, illuminating the potential for these failed stars to generate aurorae akin to Earth’s northern and southern lights, as well as those observed on Jupiter and Saturn. The absence of a nearby star near this isolated brown dwarf indicates that its polar lights may be generated by an active yet concealed moon. The research team focused their attention on the brown dwarf CWISEP J193518.59–154620.3 (W1935), located approximately 47 light-years away from Earth. While the mass of W1935 remains uncertain, ranging from 6 to 35 times that of Jupiter, its surface temperature is estimated to hover around 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius), akin to the temperature ideal for baking chocolate chip cookies. The unexpected presence of methane emissions around W1935 puzzled researchers initially, as such emissions had never been observed around a brown dwarf before. Further examination revealed a notable feature known as a “temperature inversion” in W1935’s atmosphere, a phenomenon typically associated with planets orbiting stars that heat their atmospheres from the top down. This anomaly presented a conundrum, as W1935 lacks an external heat source due to its isolated nature. Drawing parallels with the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn within our solar system, which exhibit methane emissions and temperature inversions attributable to aurorae, the research team hypothesized that similar phenomena might be occurring around W1935. However, unlike Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth, whose aurorae are primarily driven by solar wind, W1935 lacks a host star to generate stellar winds. Instead, the team speculated that the brown dwarf’s aurorae might be fueled by a secondary mechanism involving active moons similar to Jupiter’s Io and Saturn’s Enceladus. Although further evidence is required to confirm the existence of a moon orbiting the brown dwarf, these initial findings underscore the significant impact of the JWST in unraveling celestial mysteries since its deployment in the summer of 2022. Each observation with the JWST holds the potential for groundbreaking discoveries, propelling scientific inquiry forward. The team’s findings were published on April 17 in the journal Nature.