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The brown star story
Not long ago, astronauts found
in the heavens gaseous celestial bodies-clouds
of cosmic dust-which they think have finally answered
the mystery of what exists between the small things
in the universe, like planets, and the bigger
things, like the sun.
They call the cosmic dust "brown
dwarfs" or "prestars," because
although brown dwarfs have all the same elements
to become a star, for some reason they never did.
All stars go to live full lives,
from their hot, bright white dwarf stage to their
aged, cooler and dimmer, red giant stage. But
"brown stars" only go so far. Instead
of being born to live a normal star's life, they
remain cool and dim, hiding in the heavens, sprinkled
in clusters among the other stars, one hundred
fifty years from earth.
But like our babies, their role
in the universe are very important. In fact, sciencetists
believe they serve as a link between the small
things and the big things, holding the universe
together; a mid point between the beginning and
ending of our universal story.
As we grieve our babies who died
before reaching the stardom of their earthly lives,
perhaps we can find comfort in the possibility
that they are designated
for this very special, universal role.
Energized by our love, they are
the guardians of our memories of what was and
our dreams of what someday may be.
As we look to the heavens, seeking
answers, we send messages of our love to our "brown
star" babies.
Kim Steffgan
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