Scientists have discovered what could be a massive planet
outside our solar system, NASA said Monday. Astronomers used
infrared data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii to identify
Kappa Andromedae b, a "super-Jupiter" object that appears to be
nearly 13 times the mass of Jupiter. The planet orbits a star
called Kappa Andromedae. It's not entirely certain whether Kappa
Andromedae b is a planet, however, NASA said. If it can generate
energy by fusion, it would be considered a "brown dwarf" star.
Fusion is the process by which atomic nuclei combine, releasing
a huge amount of energy. The sun produces energy by fusing the
common form of hydrogen into helium. But a brown dwarf fuses
deuterium, a heavier form of hydrogen gas. Brown dwarf stars are
dimmer and cooler than other stars, but purely in the
temperature sense; they have also been called "failed stars."
Planets do not produce energy through fusion. However, planets
do emit heat that is left over from their own formation. If it
is a brown dwarf, Kappa Andro