We present the discovery of CWISE J050626.96+073842.4 (CWISE J0506+0738), an L/T transition dwarf with extremely red near-infrared colors discovered through the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project. Photometry from UKIRT and CatWISE give a ( J − K ) MKO color of 2.97 ± 0.03 mag and a J MKO − W2 color of 4.93 ± 0.02 mag, making CWISE J0506+0738 the reddest known free-floating L/T dwarf in both colors. We confirm the extremely red nature of CWISE J0506+0738 using Keck/NIRES near-infrared spectroscopy and establish that it is a low-gravity, late-type L/T transition dwarf. The spectrum of CWISE J0506+0738 shows possible signatures of CH 4 absorption in its atmosphere, suggesting a colder effective temperature than other known, young, red L dwarfs. We assign a preliminary spectral type for this source of L8 γ –T0 γ . We tentatively find that CWISE J0506+0738 is variable at 3–5 μ m based on multiepoch WISE photometry. Proper motions derived from follow-up UKIRT observations combined with a radial velocity from our Keck/NIRES spectrum and a photometric distance estimate indicate a strong membership probability in the β Pic moving group. A future parallax measurement will help to establish a more definitive moving group membership for this unusual object.
CITATION STYLE
Schneider, A. C., Burgasser, A. J., Bruursema, J., Munn, J. A., Vrba, F. J., … Casewell, S. (2023). Redder than Red: Discovery of an Exceptionally Red L/T Transition Dwarf. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 943(2), L16. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acb0cd
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