| Discovery of nearest known brown dwarf (2294 words) |
 | Epsilon Indi B has a mass just 45 times that of Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, and a surface temperature of only 1000 °C. It belongs to the so-called 'T dwarf' category of objects which straddle the domain between stars and giant planets. |
| However, it may be assumed that the age of Epsilon Indi B is the same as that of Epsilon Indi A, whose age is estimated to be 1.3 billion years based on its rotational speed. |
| With the help of Epsilon Indi B, astronomers should now be able to see further into the mysteries surrounding the formation and evolution of the exotic objects known as brown dwarfs, halfway between stars and giant planets, the physics of their inner cores, and the weather and chemistry of their atmospheres. |
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