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Learning English - Words in the News 20 May, 2011 - Published 10:05 GMT Lonely planets | ||||||||||||
Japanese astronomers claim to have found 'planets' which don't go round a star. Writing in the magazine 'Nature' they say they have found ten Jupiter-sized objects which they could not connect to any solar system. Neil Bowdler reports for the BBC: The researchers claim to have found ten dark gas giants floating at the heart of our Milky Way without any nearby star to illuminate them. Astronomers have long suspected such rogue planets existed, but this is the first evidence, and the Japanese team believe there could be as many out there as there are stars, a finding likely to shock many. How they came into being is unclear. One theory is that they may be cast-outs, forgotten worlds ejected from infant solar systems by gravitational forces or interplanetary collisions. Strictly speaking, the objects aren't even planets, as by definition planets orbit a star or the remains of one. But should the researchers have their calculations right, then strange dark orbs which look very much like planets are out there, far far from any shining star. Neil Bowdler, BBC News gas giants rogue came into being cast-outs ejected from gravitational forces interplanetary collisions Strictly speaking the remains of orbs |
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