In a stunning discovery, seven new rogue planets were identified by the Euclid space telescope which shed light on the mysteries of such dark, starless worlds which are freely floating in the universe.
Unlike planets which revolve around the stars, such rogue planets do not go through days or years and continue to exist in perpetual night.
Astronomer at Queen Mary University of London Gavin Coleman, who was not among the researchers, spoke about the fascination with these rogue planets.
“Some of our closest neighbours are likely rogue planets,” said Martin.
This hints at the possibility of living thriving in similar conditions on the rogue planets.
In a stunning discovery, seven new rogue planets were identified by the Euclid space telescope which shed light on the mysteries of such dark, starless worlds which are freely floating in the universe.
Unlike planets which revolve around the stars, such rogue planets do not go through days or years and continue to exist in perpetual night.
Even though these rogue planets are isolated, scientists now think they are capable of hosting life. According to the researchers, trillions of rogue planets are present in the Milky Way.
In the first scientific results of the European Space Agency on Euclid's mission, it was mentioned that seven new free-floating gas giants are present in the universe, each of them being four times the mass of Jupiter.
Rogue planets with a habitable zone?
Astronomer at Queen Mary University of London Gavin Coleman, who was not among the researchers, spoke about the fascination with these rogue planets.
“We’ve all grown up with the sun in the sky, and so to think of a planet just drifting through space with no star on its horizon is fascinating,” he said.
As per the scientists, not all rogue planets are known to remain alone. Some are binary systems in which two planets orbit each other.
The rogue planets' potential habitability has significant implications in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. “Some of our closest neighbours are likely rogue planets,” said Martin.
It is believed that such planets are cold and have any life-supporting energy which comes from within rather than from a star.
Watch: Scientists unveil Black Hole's plunge, bizarre region around black holes found There are geothermal vents on Earth which allow life to thrive in darkness. This hints at the possibility of living thriving in similar conditions on the rogue planets.
Coleman emphasised that such extreme isolation is likely to support bacterial and microbial life.
The rogue planets discovered were present in the Orion Nebula, which is the nearest star-forming region about 1,500 light-years away from Earth.
The Euclid telescope further confirmed that dozens of previously detected rogue planets were also existing.
Commenting on its discovery, Spanish astronomer Eduardo Martin said that this is likely just the “tip of the iceberg”.
(With inputs from agencies)
