Wandering Planet: Al-Riyadh Reports on Gas & Dust Discovery

A wandering planet in the process of formation has been observed swallowing six billion tons of gas and dust per second, in a massive growth process that “eliminates the known differences” between planets and stars, according to scientists.

Unlike Earth, Mars, and Jupiter, which revolve around the sun, this planet roams freely in space without being linked to any star. Scientists believe that there are trillions of these planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, and in countless numbers throughout the universe.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Alexander Schultz, an astronomer at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom and co-author of a study published Thursday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, said that these objects, which are difficult to observe, arouse the curiosity of astronomers because they are “neither planets nor stars in the strict sense of the word.” He added, “Their origin is still an open question: Were they objects of small mass (such as planets) but formed like stars, or were they giant planets that were thrown out of their solar systems?”