2MASS J0523−1403

2MASS J0523−1403 is a very-low-mass red dwarf about 40 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Lepus, with a very faint visual magnitude of 21.05 and a low effective temperature of 2074 K. It is visible primarily in large telescopes sensitive to infrared light. 2MASS J0523−1403 was first observed as part of the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS).^[8]

2MASS J0523−1403

Observation data Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation	Lepus
Right ascension	05h 23m 38.221s[1]
Declination	−14° 03′ 02.29″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	21.05[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type	L2.5V[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	12.21 ± 0.09[3] km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: 107.254±0.290[4] mas/yr Dec.: 160.897±0.341[4] mas/yr
Parallax (π)	78.3632 ± 0.1855 mas[4]
Distance	41.62 ± 0.10 ly (12.76 ± 0.03 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	20.6[2]
Details
Mass	103±11[5] MJup
Radius	1.126±0.063[5] RJup
Luminosity	(1.265±0.017)×10−4[5] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)	5.21±0.16[6] cgs
Temperature	1939±68[6] K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	21[7] km/s
Other designations
2MASS J05233822−1403022, 2MUCD 10390, B2006 J052338.2−140302, 2MASSI J0523382−140302, USNO-B1.0 0759−00062850
Database references
SIMBAD	data

Characteristics

2MASS J0523−1403 has a luminosity of 0.000127 L_☉, a radius of 0.116 R_☉,^[5] and an effective temperature of 1,939 K.^[6] This makes this star one of the smallest and coolest main sequence stars.^[2] It has a stellar classification of L2.5 and a V−K color index of 9.42.^[2] The mass is estimated to be 67.54±12.79 M_J (0.0644±0.0122 M_☉),^[6] though the CARMENES input catalogue estimates a mass around 103 M_J.^[5] Observation with the Hubble Space Telescope has detected no companion beyond 0.15 arcsecond.^[9] Sporadic radio emissions were detected by the VLA in 2004.^[10] H-alpha (Hα) emissions have also been detected, a sign of chromospheric activity.^[7]

Hydrogen burning limit

Members of the RECONS group have recently identified 2MASS J0523−1403 as representative of the smallest possible stars.^[11] Its small radius is at the local minimums of the radius–luminosity and radius–temperature trends.^[2] This local minimum is predicted to occur at the hydrogen burning limit due to differences in the radius-mass relationships of stars and brown dwarfs. Unlike hydrogen-burning stars, brown dwarfs decrease in radius as mass increases due to their cores being supported by degeneracy pressure. As the mass increases an increasing fraction of the brown dwarf is degenerate causing the radius to shrink as mass increases.^[11] The minimum stellar mass is estimated to be between 0.07 and 0.077 M_☉, comparable to the mass of 2MASS J0523−1403.^[2]

See also

• OGLE-TR-122B
• OGLE-TR-123B
• EBLM J0555-57Ab
• VB 10

References

1. "2MASS J05233822-1403022". SIMBAD - Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
2. Dieterich, Sergio B.; Henry, Todd J.; Jao, Wei-Chun; Winters, Jennifer G.; Hosey, Altonio D.; Riedel, Adric R.; Subasavage, John P. (May 2014). "The Solar Neighborhood XXXII. The Hydrogen Burning Limit". The Astronomical Journal. 147 (5). article id 94. arXiv:1312.1736. Bibcode:2014AJ....147...94D. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/147/5/94. S2CID 21036959.
3. Blake, Cullen H.; Charbonneau, David; White, Russel J. (2010). "The NIRSPEC Ultracool Dwarf Radial Velocity Survey". The Astrophysical Journal. 723 (1): 684–706. arXiv:1008.3874. Bibcode:2010ApJ...723..684B. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/723/1/684. S2CID 119271941.
4. Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
5. Cifuentes, C.; Caballero, J. A.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Montes, D.; Abellán, F. J.; Dorda, R.; Holgado, G.; Zapatero Osorio, M. R.; Morales, J. C.; Amado, P. J.; Passegger, V. M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Reiners, A.; Ribas, I.; Sanz-Forcada, J. (2020-10-01). "CARMENES input catalogue of M dwarfs. V. Luminosities, colours, and spectral energy distributions". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 642: A115. arXiv:2007.15077. Bibcode:2020A&A...642A.115C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202038295. ISSN 0004-6361.
6. Filippazzo, Joseph C.; Rice, Emily L.; Faherty, Jacqueline; Cruz, Kelle L.; Van Gordon, Mollie M.; Looper, Dagny L. (2015). "Fundamental Parameters and Spectral Energy Distributions of Young and Field Age Objects with Masses Spanning the Stellar to Planetary Regime". The Astrophysical Journal. 810 (2): 158. arXiv:1508.01767. Bibcode:2015ApJ...810..158F. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/810/2/158. S2CID 89611607.
7. Reiners, Ansgar; Basri, Gibor (2008). "Chromospheric Activity, Rotation, and Rotational Braking in M and L Dwarfs". The Astrophysical Journal. 684 (2): 1390–1403. arXiv:0805.1059v2. Bibcode:2008ApJ...684.1390R. doi:10.1086/590073. S2CID 17635923.
8. Cruz, Kelle L.; Reid, I. Neill; Liebert, James; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Lowrance, Patrick J. (2003). "Meeting the Cool Neighbors. V. A 2MASS-Selected Sample of Ultracool Dwarfs". The Astronomical Journal. 126 (5): 2421–2448. arXiv:astro-ph/0307429. Bibcode:2003AJ....126.2421C. doi:10.1086/378607. S2CID 119445748.
9. Reid, I. Neill; Lewitus, E.; Allen, P. R.; Cruz, Kelle L.; Burgasser, Adam J. (2006). "A Search for Binary Systems among the Nearest L Dwarfs". The Astronomical Journal. 132 (2): 891–901. arXiv:astro-ph/0606331. Bibcode:2006AJ....132..891R. doi:10.1086/505626. S2CID 28828906.
10. Antonova, A.; Doyle, J. G.; Hallinan, G.; Golden, A.; Koen, C. (2 September 2007). "Sporadic long-term variability in radio activity from a brown dwarf". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 472 (1): 257–260. arXiv:0707.0634. Bibcode:2007A&A...472..257A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20077231. S2CID 14185434.
11. Garmany, Katy (9 December 2013). "NOAO/SOAR: Where do stars end and brown dwarfs begin?" (Press release). National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2013.