failed star

American  

[feyld stahr] / ˈfeɪld ˈstɑr /

noun

Astronomy.

1. brown dwarf.

2. gas giant.

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Etymology

Origin of failed star

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

“The first criterion was there should be no light coming from the lens,” Sahu says, to rule out more prosaic objects such as a failed star known as a brown dwarf.

From Scientific American

It travels around a single star that is estimated to be 10 percent less massive than our sun, although its parent star is significantly dimmer; researchers say it could be a dim dwarf star or a "failed star."

From Salon

More likely, they wrote, it was a brown dwarf, a sort of failed star that never ignited nuclear fusion reactions.

From Scientific American

“This object is right at the boundary between a planet and a brown dwarf, or ‘failed star,’ and is giving us some surprises that can potentially help us understand magnetic processes on both stars and planets,” Melodie Kao, a lead author of the study, said in a statement.

From Salon

A study published in the Astrophysical Journal last week evaluated this floating mass in more detail; and although it was discovered in 2016, up until now it was thought to be a brown dwarf, a failed star dimmer than a red dwarf star but larger than the largest gas giants.

From Salon