Free-floating planets may outnumber stars
Posted: Thu, May 19, 2011, 8:19 AM ET (1219 GMT)
The detection of a group of large planets not orbiting any stars has led a team of astronomers to conclude that there may be more such planets in our galaxy than stars themselves. Astronomers working on a microlensing survey detected as many as ten such planets, each roughly the mass of Jupiter, in a region near the center of the galaxy. Astronomers believe that these planets formed around stars and were later ejected due to gravitation interactions with other bodies. Because smaller planets are more likely to be ejected from developing planetary systems than larger ones, astronomers project that the total number of free-floating planets in the galaxy is at least twice the number of stars.
The detection of a group of large planets not orbiting any stars has led a team of astronomers to conclude that there may be more such planets in our galaxy than stars themselves. Astronomers working on a microlensing survey detected as many as ten such planets, each roughly the mass of Jupiter, in a region near the center of the galaxy. Astronomers believe that these planets formed around stars and were later ejected due to gravitation interactions with other bodies. Because smaller planets are more likely to be ejected from developing planetary systems than larger ones, astronomers project that the total number of free-floating planets in the galaxy is at least twice the number of stars.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, May 3
Terran Orbital Picked for $237M Space Force Contract
Orange County (CA) Business Journal — 9:45 am ET (1345 GMT) Army to Roll Out Enlisted Space Ops Specialty
US Dept. of Defense — 9:45 am ET (1345 GMT) Space Force isn’t Space Command, but it does have a Huntsville presence
Huntsville Times — 9:45 am ET (1345 GMT) Everything we know about the 3 people who want to run Starbase, Texas’ next city
Texas Tribune — 9:43 am ET (1343 GMT) SpaceX’s remote site on the Gulf coast is poised to become Texas’ newest city
CNN — 9:43 am ET (1343 GMT) |
