2MASS 0937+2931 was discovered in 2002 by Adam J. Burgasser et al. fromTwo Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), conducted from 1997 to 2001. Follow-up observations were made in 1998–2001 using the Near-Infrared Camera, mounted on thePalomar 60 inch (1.5 m) Telescope; CTIO Infrared Imager (CIRIM) and Ohio State Infrared Imager/Spectrometer (OSIRIS), mounted on theCerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) 1.5 m Telescope; and some additional observations were made using the Near Infrared Camera (NIRC), mounted on theKeck I 10 m telescope, and nearinfrared camera D78, mounted on thePalomar 5 mHale Telescope. In 2002 Burgasser et al. published a paper, where they defined new spectral subtypes T1—T8, and presented discovery of 11 new T-type brown dwarfs, among which also was 2MASS 0937+2931. This 11 objects were among the earliest T-type brown dwarfs ever discovered: before this, the total number of known T-type objects was 13, and this discoveries increased it up to 24 (apart from additional T-type dwarfs, identified by Geballe et al. 2001 inSDSS data).[3]
Currently the most precise distance estimate of 2MASS 0937+2931 istrigonometric parallax, published in 2009 by Schilbach et al.: 163.39 ± 1.76mas, corresponding to a distance 6.12 ± 0.07pc, or 19.96 ± 0.22ly.[1] A less precise parallax of this object, measured underU.S. Naval Observatory Infrared Astrometry Program, was published in 2004 by Vrba et al.[5]
2MASS 0937+2931 has an unusual spectrum, indicating a metal-poor atmosphere and/or a high surface gravity (high pressure at the surface).[3] Its effective temperature is estimated at 800 Kelvin. TheResearch Consortium On Nearby Stars (RECONS) estimates the brown dwarf to be 0.03 solar masses.[6] No optical variability was detected as in 2014.[7]
^abcdefFilippazzo, Joseph C.; Rice, Emily L.; Faherty, Jacqueline; Cruz, Kelle L.; Van Gordon, Mollie M.; Looper, Dagny L. (2015), "Fundamental Parameters and Spectral Energy Distributions of Young and Field Age Objects with Masses Spanning the Stellar to Planetary Regime",The Astrophysical Journal,810 (2): 158,arXiv:1508.01767,Bibcode:2015ApJ...810..158F,doi:10.1088/0004-637X/810/2/158,S2CID89611607
^Vrba, F. J.; Henden, A. A.; Luginbuhl, C. B.; Guetter, H. H.; Munn, J. A.; Canzian, B.; Burgasser, Adam J.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Fan, X.; Geballe, T. R.; Golimowski, D. A.; Knapp, G. R.; Leggett, S. K.; Schneider, D. P.; Brinkmann, J. (2004). "Preliminary Parallaxes of 40 L and T Dwarfs from the US Naval Observatory Infrared Astrometry Program".The Astronomical Journal.127 (5):2948–2968.arXiv:astro-ph/0402272.Bibcode:2004AJ....127.2948V.doi:10.1086/383554.S2CID16344176.
^Heinze, Aren N.; Metchev, Stanimir; Kellogg, Kendra (2014), "Weather on Other Worlds. III. A Survey for T Dwarfs with High-Amplitude Optical Variability",The Astrophysical Journal,801 (2): 104,arXiv:1412.6733,doi:10.1088/0004-637X/801/2/104,S2CID119217978
