May 29, 2024 - 16:29
By manilatimes.net

Forever alone: More 'rogue' planets discovered

PARIS — The Euclid space telescope has discovered seven more rogue planets, shining a light on the dark and lonely worlds floating freely through the universe untethered to any star.

Without being bound to a star, as the Earth is to the Sun, there are no days or years on these planets, which languish in perpetual night.

Yet scientists believe there is a chance they could be able to host life — and estimate there may be trillions dotted throughout the Milky Way.

No sun This NASA handout illustration released on May 28, 2024 shows an ice-encrusted, Earth-mass rogue planet drifting through space alone. AFP photo

Last week, the European Space Agency released the Euclid telescope's first scientific results since the mission launched in July.

Among the discoveries were seven new free-floating planets, gas giants at least four times the mass of Jupiter.

They were spotted in the Orion Nebula, the nearest star-forming region to Earth, roughly 1,500 light years away.

Euclid also confirmed the existence of dozens of other previously detected rogue planets.

Spanish astronomer Eduardo Martin, the lead author of a pre-print study published on arXiv.org Friday, said this was likely just the «tip of the iceberg.» Because they do not reflect the light of a star, spotting rogue planets is like «finding a needle in a haystack,» Martin told Agence France-Presse.

Younger planets, such as those discovered by Euclid, are hotter, making them a little easier to see.

'Awe and mystery'

Some research has suggested there are around 20 rogue planets for every star, which could put their number in the trillions in our home galaxy alone.

Given that there are thought to be hundreds of billions of galaxies across the universe, the potential number of free-floating worlds becomes difficult to fathom.

When NASA's Roman space telescope launches in 2027, it is expected to find many more rogue planets, possibly offering clarity about how many could be out there.

Gavin Coleman, an astronomer at the Queen Mary University of London who was not involved in the Euclid research, said these strange worlds often evoked «feelings of awe and mystery.»

«We've all grown up