What are brown dwarfs?

There are stars out there, and there are also brown dwarfs, which are like the little cousins of stars.

Imagine you have a toy box full of different toys, some big, some small. Stars are like the biggest, loudest toys that light up the room. Brown dwarfs are more like the smaller, quieter toys in the corner, they’re not as bright or powerful, but they still shine a little.

Brown dwarfs are kind of like half-stars, because they're too small to be real stars but still big enough to glow. They don’t have enough energy to light up like the Sun does, so they just give off a soft, warm light, sort of like how your nightlight looks when you go to bed.

Planets are even smaller than brown dwarfs and don't shine at all, they just orbit stars. Brown dwarfs, on the other hand, can sometimes be found floating in space by themselves or with other stars nearby. They're like the shy kids who sit near the front of the class, not too loud, but still visible.

So remember: brown dwarfs are like little glowing toys in a big toy box full of stars!