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Astronomers measure mass and distance of free-floating planet

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Joint ground- and space-based observations reveal Saturn-mass rogue planet

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SPACED OUT ‘Invisible’ rogue planet with NO sun is detected hurtling through space after being kicked out by host stars

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Astronomers Measure The Mass of a Planet With No Star For The First Time

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No Star, No Orbit: Astronomers Detect a Rogue Planet Floating Free

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A Saturn-Sized Planet Is Drifting Through Space Alone

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Astronomers Discover Rare ‘Free-Floating’ Rogue Planet

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"There is no planet B [habitable to human beings]."

"I would never say we can never reach the stars and possible habitable planets."

"The discovery of Gliese 12 b is a stepping stone towards finding potentially habitable planets."

The discovery of several smaller and cooler stars is "the best bet for finding habitable planets."

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"That there will not be a manned flight to Mars in 2028, nor in 2031, and probably not for twenty years after that."

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"Humans are unlikely to step foot on Mars until the 2040s/2050s at the earliest, and there’ll never be a significant human settlement there because Mars is basically uninhabitable."

"Since nothing ever seems to go exactly according to plan, I'd expect something more like 2040."

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"And if we persevere on this pathway, we can reach Mars itself before 2035."

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Will humans be sent to Mars before 2036?

Astronomers have detected a rogue planet with a mass approximately 22% that of Jupiter using gravitational microlensing, a technique where the planet's gravity briefly magnifies light from a distant background star. The planet is located roughly 3,000 parsecs from the center of the Milky Way.

Astronomers have detected a rogue planet with a mass approximately 22% that of Jupiter using gravitational microlensing, a technique where the planet's gravity briefly magnifies light from a distant background star. The planet is located roughly 3,000 parsecs from the center of the Milky Way.

This marks the first time astronomers have directly measured both the mass and distance of a free-floating planet, overcoming a limitation known as mass-distance degeneracy that previously prevented independent measurements of these properties through microlensing alone.

This marks the first time astronomers have directly measured both the mass and distance of a free-floating planet, overcoming a limitation known as mass-distance degeneracy that previously prevented independent measurements of these properties through microlensing alone.

The discovery, published in the journal Science on Thursday, was made possible by simultaneous observations from ground-based telescopes in Chile, South Africa and Australia, along with the Gaia space telescope positioned 930,000 miles from Earth. Tiny differences in the arrival times of light at these separated locations enabled precise parallax measurements.

The discovery, published in the journal Science on Thursday, was made possible by simultaneous observations from ground-based telescopes in Chile, South Africa and Australia, along with the Gaia space telescope positioned 930,000 miles from Earth. Tiny differences in the arrival times of light at these separated locations enabled precise parallax measurements.

The planet's Saturn-like mass suggests it likely formed within a planetary system rather than in isolation like a brown dwarf or small star. Scientists believe low-mass rogue planets are born around stars and later expelled through gravitational disturbances.

The planet's Saturn-like mass suggests it likely formed within a planetary system rather than in isolation like a brown dwarf or small star. Scientists believe low-mass rogue planets are born around stars and later expelled through gravitational disturbances.

The microlensing event, designated KMT-2024-BLG-0792, was observed on May 3, 2024, and lasted approximately 16 hours. The planet is estimated to be located about 10,000 light-years away from Earth, toward the center of the galaxy.

The microlensing event, designated KMT-2024-BLG-0792, was observed on May 3, 2024, and lasted approximately 16 hours. The planet is estimated to be located about 10,000 light-years away from Earth, toward the center of the galaxy.

The NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2027, is expected to significantly increase the number of detections of free-floating planets. The telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.

The NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2027, is expected to significantly increase the number of detections of free-floating planets. The telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.

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Astronomers detected a rogue planet with a mass approximately 22 percent that of Jupiter using gravitational microlensing, a technique where the planet's gravity briefly magnifies light from a distant background star. The planet is located roughly 3,000 parsecs from the center of the Milky Way.

Astronomers detected a rogue planet with a mass approximately 22 percent that of Jupiter using gravitational microlensing, a technique where the planet's gravity briefly magnifies light from a distant background star. The planet is located roughly 3,000 parsecs from the center of the Milky Way.

The discovery was made possible by simultaneous observations from ground-based telescopes in Chile, South Africa and Australia, along with the Gaia space telescope positioned 930,000 miles from Earth. Tiny differences in light arrival times at these separated locations enabled precise parallax measurements.

The discovery was made possible by simultaneous observations from ground-based telescopes in Chile, South Africa and Australia, along with the Gaia space telescope positioned 930,000 miles from Earth. Tiny differences in light arrival times at these separated locations enabled precise parallax measurements.

The NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2027, is expected to significantly increase detections of free-floating planets. The telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.

The NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2027, is expected to significantly increase detections of free-floating planets. The telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.

This groundbreaking measurement of a rogue planet's mass opens an entirely new frontier in planetary science. The innovative technique using dual observations from Earth and space represents a major leap forward that will enable systematic study of these mysterious worlds. With upcoming missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, humanity stands on the brink of discovering hundreds more of these fascinating cosmic wanderers.

This groundbreaking measurement of a rogue planet's mass opens an entirely new frontier in planetary science. The innovative technique using dual observations from Earth and space represents a major leap forward that will enable systematic study of these mysterious worlds. With upcoming missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, humanity stands on the brink of discovering hundreds more of these fascinating cosmic wanderers.

Scientific American

Scientific American #2899

Scientists Just Clocked a ‘Rogue’ Planet the Size of Saturn

Free-floating planets have finally been confirmed as real, not just theoretical objects, thanks to this first-ever mass measurement. These ejected worlds may hold the key to understanding planetary system formation across the galaxy. The discovery that rogue planets exist in abundance suggests violent early histories for most planetary systems, including potentially our own solar system.

Free-floating planets have finally been confirmed as real, not just theoretical objects, thanks to this first-ever mass measurement. These ejected worlds may hold the key to understanding planetary system formation across the galaxy. The discovery that rogue planets exist in abundance suggests violent early histories for most planetary systems, including potentially our own solar system.

New Scientist

New Scientist #2810

Rare Saturn-sized rogue planet is first to have its mass measured

Rogue Planet Mass and Distance Measured for First Time

Science & technology

Space

Astronomers have for the first time measured the mass of a rogue planet floating without a star by observing how its gravity bent starlight during a microlensing event. The planet weighs about as much as Saturn and opens exciting new possibilities for studying lonely cosmic wanderers and free-floating worlds across the galaxy.

Astronomers have for the first time measured the mass of a rogue planet floating without a star by observing how its gravity bent starlight during a microlensing event. The planet weighs about as much as Saturn and opens exciting new possibilities for studying lonely cosmic wanderers and free-floating worlds across the galaxy.

Black Hole

Calling it a breakthrough may overstate the findings: the mass estimate depends on complex microlensing models and a rare alignment of observations, meaning the result could be less certain than headlines suggest. Without repeated detection or direct imaging, interpretations about the planet's nature and prevalence remain tentative.

Calling it a breakthrough may overstate the findings: the mass estimate depends on complex microlensing models and a rare alignment of observations, meaning the result could be less certain than headlines suggest. Without repeated detection or direct imaging, interpretations about the planet's nature and prevalence remain tentative.

There's a 12% chance that Planet Nine will be discovered before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

There's a 12% chance that Planet Nine will be discovered before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Metaculus

Planet Nine Discovery Before 2030

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New Scientist via X

Rogue Planet Mass and Distance Measured for First Time

Rogue Planet Mass and Distance Measured for First Time

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Rogue Planet Mass and Distance Measured for First Time

Rogue Planet Mass and Distance Measured for First Time

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Metaculus Prediction

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