2MASS J12195156+3128497 (abbreviated to 2MASS J1219+3128) is a rapidly-rotating brown dwarf of spectral class L8, located in the constellation Coma Berenices about 66 light-years from Earth. With a photometrically measured rotation period of 1.14 hours, it is one of the fastest-rotating known brown dwarfs announced by a team of astronomers led by Megan E. Tannock in March 2021. With a rotational velocity of about 80 km/s (50 mi/s), it is approaching the predicted rotational speed limit beyond which it would break apart due to centripetal forces. As a consequence of its rapid rotation, the brown dwarf is slightly flattened at its poles to a similar degree as Saturn, the most oblateplanet in the Solar System.[5] Its rapid rotation may enable strong auroralradio emissions via particle interactions in its magnetic field, as observed in other known rapidly-rotating brown dwarfs.[2]
The distance of 2MASS J1219+3128 from Earth has not yet been measured with trigonometric parallax, so instead it is calculated from the spectrophotometric relation of spectral type and near-infrared absolute magnitude.[4] Schmidt et al. (2010) estimate a spectrophotometric distance of 18.1 ± 3.7 parsecs (59 ± 12 ly) from combined SDSS iz-band and 2MASS JHK-band photometry[3] whereas Buenzli et al. (2014) estimate a spectrophotometric distance of 20.3 ± 3.0 parsecs (66.2 ± 9.8 ly) from 2MASS H-band photometry.[4]
^Cutri, Roc M.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Beichman, Charles A.; Carpenter, John M.; Chester, Thomas; Cambresy, Laurent; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Huchra, John P.; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Light, Robert M.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Stiening, Rae; Sykes, Matthew J.; Weinberg, Martin D.; Wheaton, William A.; Wheelock, Sherry L.; Zacarias, N. (2003). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: 2MASS All-Sky Catalog of Point Sources (Cutri+ 2003)". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2246: II/246. Bibcode:2003yCat.2246....0C.