June 1, 1999
Web posted at: 5:47 p.m. EDT (2147 GMT)

(CNN) -- Astronomers have discovered a new category of cosmic objects that cannot be seen in visible light, yet may be as numerous as the stars, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The dim objects, which scientists are calling methane brown dwarfs, are smaller than stars yet larger than planets, the paper said.

Unlike previously observed brown dwarfs, the new objects have atmospheres rich in methane and exist independently, far away from neighboring stars, astronomers said.

Astronomers said the new objects are probably older brown dwarfs that have cooled over billions of years. The presence of methane would not have been possible in hotter, younger objects, according to the report.

The discovery, the result of ambitious new surveys of the sky, was announced Monday at meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Chicago.

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