Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Brown Dwarfs, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report MINDS. Anatomy Of A Water-rich, Inclined, Brown Dwarf Disk: Lack Of Abundant Hydrocarbons by Keith CowingApril 16, 2025April 16, 2025 2MASS J04381486+2611399 (or J0438) is one of the few young brown dwarfs (BD) with a highly inclined (i∼70∘) disk.
![JWST-MIRI MRS spectrum of the young J0438 disk (black). The spectrum is dominated by amorphous silicate absorption and emission bands typical of a highly inclined disk configuration. A very weak CO2 ice absorption feature is tentatively detected (see Appendix A, Fig. 8) along with inner disk gas reservoir (Table 3) composed by molecular hydrogen (H2), water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), acetylene (C2H2) and the singly ionized cations of argon and neon ([Ar+], [Ne+]; for zoom-ins see Appendices B and C). The comparison between the JWST-MIRI and the Spitzer -IRS low- (SL, LL) and high- (SH) resolution spectra reveal continuum and line variability (grey and teal). The Spitzer -IRS spectra were taken from CASSIS (Lebouteiller et al. 2011, 2015) and Pascucci et al. (2013). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/MINDS-Anatomy-of-a-water-rich.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)