An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The observational result indicating a deficit in the frequency of → brown dwarf companions to Sun-like stars,
either relative to the frequency of less massive planetary companions or relative to the frequency of more massive stellar companions.
However, this desert exists mainly for low-separation brown dwarfs detected using orbital velocity surveys. No brown dwarf desert is noticed at wide separations (J. E. Gizis et al. 2001, ApJ 551, L163).

See also: → brown; → dwarf; → desert.