JWST studies of Brown Dwarf Variability

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Brown dwarfs are objects in the mass gap between stars and planets. Lacking the contaminating light from a host star, observations of brown dwarfs can provide insight into what to expect from future observations of massive, Jupiter-like exoplanets. One curious feature of brown dwarfs is their changing brightness, which is thought to be caused by changing patterns of clouds in their atmospheres or - in some instances - the presence of powerful analogs of Jupiter's aurorae. In this PhD you will use data from the James Webb Space Telescope to study the variability of a nearby brown dwarf, providing our best look yet at this puzzling phenomenon.