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red dwarf
noun
: a star having substantially lower surface temperature, intrinsic luminosity, mass, and size than the sun
Examples of red dwarf in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, many of the thousands of exoplanets scientists have identified so far orbit red dwarfs, which makes their presence likely; planets orbiting red dwarfs have a higher chance of being inhabitable, according to NASA.
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Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 13 June 2024
Research from 2013 suggested that as many as 4.5 billion potentially habitable planets may orbit around red dwarfs in our galaxy, but evidence to support this has been scant to non-existent.
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George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 May 2024
And since the red dwarf is still hot, there will eventually be a spark that triggers a runaway nuclear fusion reaction.
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Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 21 May 2024
In general, nature tends to make few big objects and lots of little ones; for example, high-mass stars are rare, and lower-mass ones such as red dwarfs are common.
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Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1926, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near red dwarf
Cite this Entry
“Red dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20dwarf. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
red dwarf
noun
: a star having much lower surface temperature, brightness, mass, and size than the sun
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