The 70 planets identified by astronomers have a mass comparable to that of Jupiter. A study by the European Southern Observatory suggests that billions of these giant planets may “wander” the Milky Way.
Astronomers have identified at least 70 new “roaming” planets without a parent star in the Milky Way, the “largest group” of planets ever discovered, unveiled this Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory (OES).
Wandering planets are planets that do not revolve around any star and, in this case, have a mass comparable to that of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, located in the star-forming region close to the sun, in the direction of the constellations of the sun. Scorpio and Ophiuchus.
Astronomers have used data from several telescopes at the OES in Chile and from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, taking advantage of the fact that “several million years after their formation, these planets are still hot enough to glow, making them directly detectable with the sensitive cameras of large telescopes, ”the OES said in a statement.
Research published in a specialized journal. Nature Astronomy, suggests that billions of these giant planets could “roam” the Milky Way without a host star.
What exactly leads to the appearance of wandering planets is unknown.
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