astronomy

WISE 0647−6232

WISE 0647−6232 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand WISE 0647−6232 rather than just read about it. In short: WISE J064723.23−623235.5 (abbreviated WISE 0647−6232) is a nearby brown dwarf of spectral type Y1±0.5, located in constellation Pictor at approximately 32.5 light-years from Earth. It is one of the two or three reddest and one of the four latest-type brown dwarfs known.

Key takeaways

WISE 0647−6232 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WISE 0647−6232 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WISE 0647−6232 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WISE J064723.23−623235.5 (abbreviated WISE 0647−6232) is a nearby brown dwarf of spectral type Y1±0.5, located in constellation Pictor at approximately 32.5 light-years from Earth. It is one of the two or three reddest and one of the four latest-type brown dwarfs known.

History of observations

Discovery WISE 0647−6232 was discovered by Kirkpatrick et al. from data, collected by Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Earth-orbiting satellite—NASA infrared-wavelength 40-cm (16-in) space telescope, which mission lasted from December 2009 to February 2011. The discovery was announced in 2013. WISE 0647−6232 was first imaged by WISE on 9 May 2010. On 17 June 2010 after preliminary data processing it was uncovered as a very cold brown dwarf candidate. Then were carried out follow-up observations:

using the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on Spitzer Space Telescope, starting from MJD 55458.43 (possibly 16 September 2010); J- and H-band images using Persson's Auxiliary Nasmyth Infrared Camera (PANIC) at the 6.5-meter Magellan Baade telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, on 25 November 2010; with the FourStar infrared camera also at Magellan Baade telescope on 15 January 2013 and 23 March 2013; with the Folded-port InfraRed Echellette (FIRE) spectrograph also at Magellan Baade telescope on 24 March 2013; using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on Hubble Space Telescope on 13–14 May 2013, and pre-image was obtained on 11 February 2013. On 25 August 2013 Kirkpatrick et al. submitted the discovery paper to The Astrophysical Journal. WISE 0647−6232 became the 17th Y-type dwarf discovered and confirmed spectroscopically (in addition, WD 0806-661B is also almost certainly a Y-type dwarf, which was found before discovery of WISE 0647−6232, but it still lacks a spectroscopical confirmation).

Distance Currently the most accurate distance estimate of WISE 0647−6232 is a trigonometric parallax, published in 2019 by Kirkpatrick et al.: 10.0±0.2 pc, or 32.5±0.8 ly.

The most reliable estimate is marked in bold.

Properties WISE 0647−6232 has effective temperature 350–400 K and mass ~5–30 MJup, but its kinematics suggests that it may belong to Columba moving group (probability of this is 92.9%, and corresponding radial velocity should be ~22 km/s), if it is so, it may be very young (~30 Myr) and have even lower mass (<2 MJup). Its blue J − H color may suggest that its surface gravity may be relatively low (log(g)=3.0–3.5, where g is in units of cm·s−2). For ages from 0.1 to more than 10 Gyr log(g)=4.0–5.0. One team found a 93.2% probability of this object belonging to a group called OCEMG, which would result in a mass of 4.6+3.0−2.2 MJ. The only redder than WISE 0647−6232 confirmed Y dwarf is WISE 1828+2650. WD 0806-661B may also be redder than WISE 0647−6232. The other three latest-type Y dwarfs are: WISE 0350−5658 (Y1), WISE 0535−7500 (≥Y1) and WISE 1828+2650 (≥Y2).

See also List of star systems within 30–35 light-years List of Y-dwarfs

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WISE 0647−6232

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WISE 0647−6232 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to WISE 0647−6232 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about WISE 0647−6232 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of WISE 0647−6232

In research: WISE 0647−6232 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses WISE 0647−6232 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: WISE 0647−6232 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 2010, Brown dwarfs, Pictor, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WISE 0647−6232 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study WISE 0647−6232 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WISE 0647−6232 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain WISE 0647−6232 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WISE 0647−6232 in simple terms?

Why does WISE 0647−6232 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study WISE 0647−6232?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on WISE 0647−6232.