“The Life of Floating Planets: Worlds Disappearing Among the Stars”
Researchers have discovered a series of worlds floating among the stars, revealing unsolved mysteries about their origins. In this latest research, it was discovered that there are more planets floating in the universe than previously thought.
Dr Richard Bate, astrophysicist at the University of Exeter, explains: “In searching for direct images of young stars, we know that very few stars have giant planets with large orbits. It’s hard to accept that there are many large planetary systems in Orion that are disrupted.”
Researchers suspect that there are several ways to form these strange floating objects. For example, with some adjustments, theorists may find that shock waves from supernovas can compress small clouds of gas and help them collapse into pairs of small stars more easily than expected. Wang’s simulations also show that the ejection of giant planets in pairs is, at least in some cases, theoretically inevitable.
While there are still many unanswered questions, the discovery of many floating worlds over the past two years has taught researchers two things. First, these worlds formed quickly: in millions of years, not billions. On Orion, gas clouds collapsed and planets formed, and some may even have been pulled into the abyss by passing stars, all during the time modern humans evolved on Earth.
Sean Raymond, a researcher who developed a simulation of how a giant planet could push its brethren into space, said: “Forming a planet in 1 million years is difficult with existing models. This discovery will add another piece to the puzzle.”
Secondly, there are many unbound worlds out there. And giant, heavy planets are the hardest to remove from their systems, just as bowling balls are difficult to knock off a pool table. These observations show that for every visible Jupiter, there are many floating Neptunes and Earths that go undetected.
It’s clear that we live in a galaxy full of shipwrecked worlds of all sizes.
Now, nearly half a millennium after Galileo was dazzled by the various points of light – the moon, planets and stars – in Earth’s sky, his successors are beginning to recognize the bright edges of dark objects floating between them. Small stars, starless worlds, invisible asteroids, alien comets and more.
“We know there’s a lot of stuff out in the stars,” Raymond said. This type of research “opens a window into all of this, not just floating planets but floating objects in general.”
Source: Quanta Magazine (with permission), an independent publication that aims to improve public understanding of science by covering research developments and trends in mathematics, physical sciences and life sciences.
Photo: Laurence Honorat
2023-12-31 17:41:33
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