Rogue planet lost in space
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November 14, 2012 |
When I first heard about the discovery of a ‘rogue planet’ all sorts of wacky sci-fi scenarios came to mind. But the truth is it’s just a lonely planet, known only as CFBDSIR2149-0403, with no star to orbit.
Scientists had a hunch that rogue planets were out there, but they’ve been difficult to find since most planets are discovered by observing the effect they have on their host star.
Usually planets are made when they coalesce out of a disc of dust and debris around a star, so the big mystery is – how did the rogue get out there in the first place?
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This image of CFBDSIR2149-0403 was captured by the European Southern Observatory.
Image: ESO/P Delormes
