Rogue Planet Discovered Floating Through Space!
Astronomers have detected what could be a rogue planet wandering all alone through deep space without a host star.
The dark world, named CFBDSIR2149, was found during a survey searching for failed stars (brown dwarfs).
Published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the discovery blurs the line between small brown dwarfs and large planets.
The study’s lead author, Philippe Delorme from France’s Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics, says these objects hold important clues about how planets are ejected from planetary systems.
“If this little object is a planet that has been ejected from its native system, it conjures up the striking image of orphaned worlds, drifting in the emptiness of space,” he said.
The planet, believed to be between 50 and 120 million years old, was found near a stream of young stars called the AB Doradus Moving Group, located 100 light years from Earth.
