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           Astronomers Find 'Homeless' Planet Drifting Through Space

   by VOA News

   Astronomers have discovered a planet drifting through space, not
   orbiting a star. Such cosmic wanderers are believed to be common in the
   universe. But the new-found planet's proximity to our solar system -
   just 100 light years, or 1000 trillion kilometers, away - and the
   absence of any nearby stars have allowed the international [Canadian
   and European] team to study the planet's properties in greater detail
   than ever before.
   Because it seems to be traveling with a group of about 30 young stars,
   researchers were able to determine it was the same age - between 50 and
   120 million years old. Then, using computer models of planet evolution,
   they report it has a temperature of about 400 degrees Celsius, and a
   mass four to seven times that of Jupiter.
   These free-floating objects can help astronomers understand more about
   how planets and stars form and behave. Rogue planets may have coalesced
   from the same dust and debris as normal planets before being ejected
   from their solar systems, or they may be brown dwarfs - stars that
   never grew large enough to trigger the reaction that causes starlight.
   Lead researcher, Philippe Delorme of the University of Grenoble, said
   "If this little object is a planet that has been ejected from its
   native system, it conjures up the striking image of orphaned worlds,
   drifting in the emptiness of space."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/astronomers_find_homeless_planet_drif
   ting_through_space/1546162.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/astronomers_find_homeless_planet_drifting_through_space/1546162.html