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Rogue Planets

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Milky Way may host trillions of rogue planets, far outnumbering stars
science12 days ago

Milky Way may host trillions of rogue planets, far outnumbering stars

NASA's nine-year microlensing study suggests about 20 planetary-mass objects per star—free-floating or in very wide orbits—potentially placing the Milky Way in the trillions of rogue planets, though the figure is model-based with broad uncertainty and not a direct census. The results favor many low-mass wanderers rather than giants, and future observations with the Roman Space Telescope are expected to sharpen the census and mass distribution.

via Space Daily|
#microlensing#milky-way#moa
Seven Cosmic Curiosities That Challenge Our Understanding of Space
space18 days ago

Seven Cosmic Curiosities That Challenge Our Understanding of Space

Seven enigmatic cosmic objects—magnetars with extreme magnetic fields, the mysterious Odd Radio Circles, rogue planets drifting through interstellar space, the Boomerang Nebula’s record-low temperature, bright quasars at galactic centers, a brown dwarf potentially hosting its first moon, and blazars with jets aimed toward Earth—illustrate how the universe continually defies simple explanations and invites new discoveries.

via Interesting Engineering|
#boomerang-nebula#magnetars#odd-radio-circles
Starless Rogue-Moon Orbits Could Sustain Long-Lived Subsurface Oceans
science1 month ago

Starless Rogue-Moon Orbits Could Sustain Long-Lived Subsurface Oceans

A 2025 arXiv modelling study suggests moons bound to planets ejected by supernovae could remain in interstellar space and heat internal oceans via tidal flexing, potentially keeping subsurface oceans for billions of years without sunlight. In simulations, 12–15% of cases yielded heating within the Europa/Enceladus range; surfaces would stay frozen and oceans would be buried, but the internal heat could sustain liquid water. The work is theoretical and depends on model inputs, and no confirmed rogue-planet moons have been observed yet; still, it widens habitable-setting thinking beyond star warmth.

via Space Daily|
#exomoons#habitability#rogue-planets
First Rogue Planet Mass Measured Confirms Galactic Population of Free-Floaters
science1 month ago

First Rogue Planet Mass Measured Confirms Galactic Population of Free-Floaters

Astronomers using a microlensing event observed from Earth and Gaia have measured both the mass and distance of a rogue planet about 9,800 light-years away, finding it Saturn-mass and confirming that the Milky Way hosts billions to possibly trillions of such starless worlds; the result leverages mass-distance measurements previously difficult for rogue planets and points to future surveys by the Roman Space Telescope to uncover many more.

via Space Daily|
#exoplanets#gaia#microlensing
NASA's Roman Space Telescope set to chart a 100,000-planet census and rogue worlds
space2 months ago

NASA's Roman Space Telescope set to chart a 100,000-planet census and rogue worlds

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, slated for launch by May 2027, will conduct a five-year survey that could detect about 100,000 transiting exoplanets and assemble the largest catalogue of rogue planets via gravitational microlensing, complemented by a coronagraphic program to image select giant planets. The mission combines a Wide Field Instrument for transit hunting with a Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey that observes six bulge fields in high cadence to capture microlensing events, enabling population-level statistics on planet occurrence—such as Earth-sized planets in habitable zones—and on rogue planets roaming the galaxy, far beyond the roughly 6,000 confirmed exoplanets today.

via Space Daily|
#exoplanets#microlensing#nasa
New Jupiter-mass binary planets spotted in a nearby stellar nursery, reviving the JuMBO debate
space2 months ago

New Jupiter-mass binary planets spotted in a nearby stellar nursery, reviving the JuMBO debate

Astronomers analyzing archival infrared and Gaia data found two wide, Jupiter-mass binary objects in the Lower Centaurus-Crux star-forming region, adding weight to the JuMBO concept while showing such free-floating planet-sized binaries are rare (about 2% of rogue planets in that region). This new evidence suggests some previously claimed JuMBOs in the Orion Nebula may have been misidentified stars, but the existence of planet-mass binaries is becoming more plausible. Researchers plan follow-up observations with the ESO's Very Large Telescope to better characterize these systems and their implications for planet formation and potential habitability through tidal heating.

via Live Science|
#exoplanets#james-webb-space-telescope#jumbos
Two suns, more worlds: binary stars may birth more planets than single stars
space3 months ago

Two suns, more worlds: binary stars may birth more planets than single stars

New simulations suggest planets may form more easily in the outer parts of circumbinary disks around binary stars, as inner zones near the stars are too chaotic. Beyond a “forbidden zone,” disks can become gravitationally unstable and fragment to form multiple planets—often gas giants—while some worlds may be ejected as rogue planets. The study implies binary-star systems could host many planets, making Tatooine-like worlds less rare, and points to ALMA, JWST, and future telescopes to observe such disks; over 50 circumbinary planets are already known.

via Space|
#binary-stars#exoplanets#planet-formation
Rogue planets' moons may host billions of years of habitability
space5 months ago

Rogue planets' moons may host billions of years of habitability

Astronomers propose that moons orbiting free-floating, starless rogue planets could stay warm enough for liquid water for billions of years thanks to tidal heating and hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that trap heat via collision-induced absorption (CIA). Using radiative-transfer (HELIOS) and chemistry (GGchem) codes, the study shows such exomoons could maintain long-term habitability even without a sun, though the models rely on simplifications (e.g., dry atmospheres, constant gravity) and future work will add clouds and water-vapor effects. This expands the search for life beyond traditional, star‑dependent habitable zones.

via Space|
#exomoons#habitability#hydrogen-atmosphere
James Webb Telescope Unveils Water Ice on Mysterious Runaway Planets
science1 year ago

James Webb Telescope Unveils Water Ice on Mysterious Runaway Planets

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered mysterious Jupiter-sized binary objects, termed JuMBOs, in the Orion Nebula, which may be the remnants of embryonic stars rather than traditional planets. These JuMBOs, found orbiting each other without a parent star, could have formed from pre-stellar cores stripped by high-energy radiation from nearby massive stars, according to a new study. This theory suggests that the JuMBOs are not failed stars but rather products of a unique formation process, though more data is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

via Livescience.com|
#astronomy#james-webb-space-telescope#jumbos