<p>A strange <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/neither-star-nor-planet-a-strange-brown-dwarf-puzzles-astronomers-20210804/" target="_blank">brown dwarf</a> called “The Accident” has astronomers wondering exactly what the difference is between a planet and a star. Also this week, is NASA’s Curiosity rover sitting right on top of a <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2284210-microbes-burping-methane-on-mars-may-be-right-next-to-nasa-rover/" target="_blank">methane source on Mars</a>, and is it linked to life?</p>

A strange brown dwarf called “The Accident” has astronomers wondering exactly what the difference is between a planet and a star. Also this week, is NASA’s Curiosity rover sitting right on top of a methane source on Mars, and is it linked to life?

<p>A strange&nbsp;<a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/neither-star-nor-planet-a-strange-brown-dwarf-puzzles-astronomers-20210804/" rel="noopener noreferrer">brown dwarf</a>&nbsp;called “The Accident” has astronomers wondering exactly what the difference is between a planet and a star. Also this week, is NASA’s Curiosity rover sitting right on top of a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2284210-microbes-burping-methane-on-mars-may-be-right-next-to-nasa-rover/" rel="noopener noreferrer">methane source on Mars</a>, and is it linked to life?</p>

Is tiny life on Mars burping out methane, and when does a planet become a star?

Like space, but want more? Join space journalist Jonathan O'Callaghan as he interviews experts for The New York Times, Scientific American, New Scientist and more about the secrets of the cosmos. New episodes every Wednesday. Follow him on Twitter @Astro_Jonny

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Is tiny life on Mars burping out methane, and when does a planet become a star?

Is tiny life on Mars burping out methane, and when does a planet become a star?