A Very High Proper Motion Star and the First L dwarf in the Kepler Field

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of two high proper motion dwarfs, including the first L dwarf in the Kepler field, highlighting the potential of infrared surveys for finding nearby stars independent of traditional sky surveys.

Contribution

The study identifies two nearby high proper motion dwarfs using WISE and 2MASS data, including the first L dwarf in the Kepler field, demonstrating new methods for discovering such stars.

Findings

WISEP J191239.91-361516.4 is a mid-M dwarf with 2.1 arcsec/yr motion.

WISEP J190648.47+401106.8 is an L1 dwarf at 17 parsecs with 0.48 arcsec/yr motion.

Both objects are at low galactic latitudes, showing infrared surveys' effectiveness.

Abstract

We report two nearby high proper motion dwarfs of special interest identified using the Preliminary Data Release of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). WISEP J191239.91-361516.4 has a motion of 2.1 arcseconds per year. Photometry identifies it as a mid-M dwarf. WISEP J190648.47+401106.8 is a spectroscopically confirmed L1 dwarf in the Kepler Mission field with a motion of 0.48 arcseconds per year. The estimated distance is 17 parsecs. Both lie at relatively low galactic latitudes and demonstrate the possibility of discovering proper motion stars independently of the historic photographic sky surveys.