Astronomers Discover First Known "Free-Floating Planet"

[Starik20X6]

That's no free-floating planet...!

Seriously though, that's pretty cool. I wonder if the lack of sun means it's too cold to support life?

 

[The Random One]

Maybe it's backpacking through the universe, trying to find its true planet self.

Wait, that's a free-loading planet.

 

[pffh]

Maybe it's backpacking through the universe, trying to find its true planet self.

Wait, that's a free-loading planet.

"Hey mind if I crash in your system? Don't worry brah it will only be for a few hundred million years and I'll stay on the edge"

And then he moves into the goldilock zone and still hasn't left after several billion years.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

A wandering planet? That sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie...

 

[Racecarlock]

A wandering planet? That sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie...

Science: Turns out it really is that fucking cool.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Well, either it's planet Mondas and the Cybermen are coming or...

My thoughts went to <link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zonama_Sekot>Zonama Sekot, personally.

By the way, you win for linking the themesong to Green Slime. I've never actually seen the movie, but it's one of the best trailer songs ever.

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, either it's planet Mondas and the Cybermen are coming or...

My thoughts went to <link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zonama_Sekot>Zonama Sekot, personally.

By the way, you win for linking the themesong to Green Slime. I've never actually seen the movie, but it's one of the best trailer songs ever.

You can actually find the whole movie on Youtube, though I dunno if you wanna with their problems.

OT: I have a third theory about it being Isaac Asimov's Nemesis, which - while I like Asimov's work - I didn't think was a very good book. Still, 'nother thought there, at least.

 

[wfpdk]

well if it doesn't have a star to go in front of, how did they see it?

 

[Alar]

That's no free-floating planet...!

Seriously though, that's pretty cool. I wonder if the lack of sun means it's too cold to support life?

Unless, ala Star Trek, it has lots and lots magmatic activity going on underneath the surface with many of them opening out onto the surface to create thick pockets of heat!

I'm guessing the core would have to be exceptionally large and active to keep that molten rock hot enough, otherwise the cold of space would simply freeze the whole sucker up.

Then again, this is just a wild and half-baked idea from a guy still waking up. Either way, this is a neat discovery.

 

[Skeleon]

Well, this is astronomy, where things don't mean what you think they mean - in this case a "cold young" planet is roughly 100 million years old, and 400C. At least it's consistent.

Well, no, that is extremely young compared to our planet. But pretty hot compared to it, too. It's cold for a dwarf sun, is what I think they were getting at in the actual article.

 

[Smeggs]

We sure it's not that evil thing from Fifth Element? We need Bruce Willis.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Interesting discovery. I wonder if it's possible for it to be captured by a star and fall into a regular orbit. Something more interesting would be what would happen if it collided with another star. I think the most interesting thing would be for it to collide with a large brown dwarf. Bam, galactic collision, instant sun... maybe.

 

[OutsiderEX]

Anyone here reminded of the Jupiter Theft?

 

[iblis666]

Damn it all dont call it a free floating planet!

Call it something awesome like rogue planet, nomad planet, orphan planet, interstellar planet, or even wandering planet.

 

[Albino Boo]

OT: I have a third theory about it being Isaac Asimov's Nemesis, which - while I like Asimov's work - I didn't think was a very good book. Still, 'nother thought there, at least.

Yeah Nemesis wasn't that good, it felt like he was trying to join up all his work more than letting the plot flow. This planet is 20 odd light years away, I thought Nemesis was was less than a light year away.

well if it doesn't have a star to go in front of, how did they see it?

They can see it directly, largely because there is no star to hide something that small and cold.

Unless, ala Star Trek, it has lots and lots magmatic activity going on underneath the surface with many of them opening out onto the surface to create thick pockets of heat!

I'm guessing the core would have to be exceptionally large and active to keep that molten rock hot enough, otherwise the cold of space would simply freeze the whole sucker up.

Then again, this is just a wild and half-baked idea from a guy still waking up. Either way, this is a neat discovery.

Its a gas giant, there is no real surface until you get down deep. Down there you get exotic things like water ice at 4000C and seas of hydrogen metal. The heat in this case come from the fusion, the core is hot enough to fuse tritium but not normal hydrogen.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Hmmm...part of a planet's definition refers to its orbit around a star, (explains why Pluto wasn't one, for example, as it didn't clear out it's orbit) so this presumably would have to be something else.

Well, either it's planet Mondas and the Cybermen are coming or...

Heh, nice obscure reference there.

 

[ShakerSilver]

Spoiler: Dear God...

Does this mean the Green Lantern Corps are real?

 

[Palademon]

This has called for ALL the references.

I'm going for Invader Zim

 

[More Fun To Compute]

They should tow it back and use it as a replacement for Pluto to appease all the people who couldn't deal with it's change of status.