a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

falkor · 2012-11-17 03:01:43

http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1211/15rogue/ drifting through interstellar space without a star of its own to orbit, has been discovered a hundred light years from Earth. If confirmed, it will be the first of its kind to be proven to exist - and there may be billions more like it out there.

tahanson43206 · 2025-01-10 12:42:52

This topic showed up when I was looking for topics that cover the Solar System in one way or another

The topic did not pick up much interest.
Never-the-less, this post is available for an index if anyone decides to create a post.
(th)

Calliban · 2025-01-14 20:02:42

Since 2012, more of these have been discovered. They are generally difficult to detect unless they happen to be young and hot. Rogue Earth or Mars size worlds could be as cold as 20K. At that temperature infrared signature would be difficult to distinguish from background. So finding these objects is almost impossible.

Terraformer · 2025-01-15 05:18:26

Sounds like a good place to hide from Xenos

Even at much warmer temperatures it's hard to detect something that small light months away.

Calliban · 2025-01-15 09:47:23

I wonder if we could actively scan for distant objects using powerful lasers, such as femtosecond lasers? We target a specific region of the sky and release a pulse of temporaly and spatially coherent light. We then use optical telescopes like Hubble to pick up the 'pings'. The timing and intensity of the ping will tell you distance and size. Doppler shift indicates relative velocity. This is unlikely to be sufficient to provide much information about an object other than distance, size and velocity. But once location and velocity are known, optical and IR telescopes can focus on the location. It may take some very long exposures to gather enough photons to reveal surface details. But it should be possible in principle.

Last edited by Calliban (2025-01-15 09:50:18)

tahanson43206 · Today 06:17:51

This topic seems like a good fit for this report. I don't know what to make of it, but it seems to have some preliminary observational data to merit keeping an eye on it.

Update:Google's Gemini thinks this report is click-bait. It takes actual observations and creates a false impression to entice readers.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolo … r-AA1LjNRF

I didn't see any indication of how close this particular object may be.

Jupiter-Sized Rogue Planet Detected Entering Our Solar System
Story by James Thompson • 2d •
Could a vagabond giant from the outermost regions of interstellar space be poised on the cusp of sweeping by our cosmic doorstep? Astronomers say yes and they have the data to support it. Using the Pan-STARRS survey telescope on Hawaii and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, researchers have found a giant rogue planet, possibly as massive as Jupiter, speeding toward the solar system. It is a transient discovery made possible by the combination of wide-sky monitoring and the capability of high-resolution spectroscopy.
Image Credit toWikimedia Commons| License details
Pan-STARRS first notified astronomers to the object with weak, creeping light signals near quiet stars. The adaptive optics and spectrographs of the VLT then allowed researchers to unravel its light into a spectrum, which indicated absorption lines typical of a gas giant atmosphere. Spectroscopy the same technique researchers apply to study exoplanets can identify molecular constituents such as methane, ammonia, and water vapor and give clues to how the planet formed. As Núria Miret-Roig, who spearheaded similar rogue planet surveys, has described it, These measurements allow us to securely identify the faintest objects in this region, the rogue planets.
Early orbital simulations suggest that the body is not gravitationally bound to any star and is traveling through the solar system for the first time. Its mass and velocity suggest it will have slight gravitational pulls on other planets or minor bodies. Scientists are conducting three-body simulations in order to establish possible perturbations, a process that involves the restricted three-body problem and considers chaotic orbital resonances. Whereas current models indicate minimal disruption, even a Jupiter-mass object passing by tens of astronomical units can deflect cometary orbits in the Oort Cloud.
The find also reminds us of past interstellar visitors. ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and comet Borisov in 2019 were both smaller and faster, but they illustrated the diversity of interstellar objects. This size of the new arrival places it into a class by itself a rogue planet, maybe ejected from its home system during the early gravitational upheavals. Ejection from planet-planet, close stellar flybys, or even the implosion of a small gas cloud could have ejected it. Surveys like OGLE have also shown that Jupiter-mass rogues may number in the billions in the Milky Way.
In a close-up examination of such an object, a special laboratory for planetary science awaits. Spectroscopic measurements can establish whether its chemical makeup is analogous to gas planets in our home solar system or bears the imprint of an extraneous stellar nursery. If it still retains a circumplanetary disk as has been observed about some young free-floaters by the James Webb Space Telescope it might even carry the seeds of moons, a tiny planetary system drifting in the darkness.
Tracking it, however, is a challenge. Rogue planets are feeble, icy, and move against a dense stellar backdrop. The scientists are employing computer simulations that draw on nightly new astrometric observations, refining predictions for its closest approach. It will inform observing campaigns with professional gear as well as citizen science networks, following the lead of missions already detecting scores of close brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, set to begin full operation in the near future, promises to render such searches obsolete. Its Legacy Survey of Space and Time will take pictures of the southern sky a few nights out of every week, maybe catching many more red-handed interstellar interlopers. As Chris Lintott of Oxford once characterized this coming age, “Find the thing, point telescopes at it, argue about it. It’s going to be fun.”
For the moment, the gradual arrival of the rogue planet offers a window of opportunity. As it continues deeper into the solar system, its changing spectrum and motion will be scrutinized for proof of atmospheric activity, ring systems, or even the glint of distant satellites. With every visit, not only will the path of an unusual intruder be charted, but mysteries regarding how planetary systems form, grow, and sometimes launch their worlds out into the galaxy’s unknown frontier will be resolved.

There is vague language in the report suggesting this object (whatever it is) might pass through the Solar System. If that is the case, then the object will show up in other reports. For now I'm inclined to see this as click bait.

(th)

tahanson43206 · Today 06:36:15

Google's Gemini thinks the report in #6 is click-bait.

Conversation with Gemini
Pan-STARRS rogue planet report - Hi Gemini! thanks for your help with many previous requests. In this case, I'm hoping you can find more detail about a report of a possible detection of a rogue planet that might be near enough to actually pass through our Solar system. Previous detections have been of objects light years away.
***
No report from the Pan-STARRS observatory has identified a rogue planet on a trajectory to pass through our Solar System. The Pan-STARRS search for distant planets has primarily focused on finding a hypothetical "Planet Nine" and cataloging objects in the outer Solar System.
Here's more about what Pan-STARRS has discovered and the concept of rogue planets.
What Pan-STARRS Has Found ?
The Pan-STARRS survey (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) is known for its wide-field astronomical surveys, particularly for discovering Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). While it hasn't found a rogue planet heading our way, it has made a few significant discoveries related to objects passing through our Solar System.
'Oumuamua: In 2017, Pan-STARRS discovered 1I/ʻOumuamua, the first confirmed interstellar object to pass through our Solar System. It was a small, elongated object, not a rogue planet, and its unusual acceleration sparked a lot of scientific debate. It's now speeding away from us and won't return.
PSO J318.5-22: Pan-STARRS also discovered a free-floating, planetary-mass object called PSO J318.5-22 in 2013. This object is considered a rogue planet, but it's located about 80 light-years away and is not on a path to enter our Solar System.
What is a Rogue Planet? ?
A rogue planet (also known as a free-floating planet or interstellar planet) is a planetary-mass object that doesn't orbit a star. These planets wander through interstellar space, untethered by a star's gravitational pull.

Formation: Rogue planets are thought to form in two main ways: they can be ejected from their home star system during the chaotic early stages of planetary formation, or they can form on their own in a similar manner to stars, but without the mass to ignite nuclear fusion.
Prevalence: While they're difficult to detect, astronomers now believe there could be billions or even trillions of rogue planets in the Milky Way, possibly outnumbering stars.
Threat to Earth: The chance of a rogue planet entering our Solar System and causing a major disruption is extremely low. The vast distances between star systems make such an event a statistical long shot. Even if one were to pass close by, its gravitational influence would most likely only slightly alter the orbits of our Solar System's outer bodies.
***
So do you think the article I saw might have been click bait?
***
Yes, it's very likely the article you saw was clickbait. ?️ Pan-STARRS, while a powerful observatory, has not reported the discovery of a rogue planet on a collision course with our Solar System. Such a discovery would be a massive, globally reported event.
Here's a breakdown of why this is a common form of misleading headline:
Rogue Planets and Clickbait ?
Sensationalism: Headlines about "planets threatening Earth" or "cosmic objects on a collision course" are designed to create alarm and attract clicks. The reality is that while rogue planets are believed to be common throughout the galaxy, the vast distances of space make a close flyby or collision with our Solar System a statistically improbable event.
Misinterpretation of Scientific Discoveries: The article likely sensationalized or misunderstood an actual scientific finding. Pan-STARRS has made significant discoveries related to rogue planets and other interstellar objects, but they are not a threat to us.
1I/ʻOumuamua: Pan-STARRS discovered the first confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system, but it was a small, elongated object, not a planet, and it's already on its way out.
PSO J318.5-22: Pan-STARRS also discovered a genuine rogue planet, but it's approximately 80 light-years away and not heading toward Earth.
Focus on Near-Earth Objects: The primary mission of the Pan-STARRS telescope is to discover and track Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) like asteroids and comets that could pose a potential impact risk. While these objects can be a threat, they are not rogue planets.
In short, while the scientific community is actively searching for and studying rogue planets to better understand planetary formation, there is no credible report of one on a path to pass through our Solar System. ?
***
Thank you! I will post your assessment as a follow up to the initial report.
***
You're welcome! Posting an assessment like that is a great way to provide a more accurate picture of a scientific report. The distinction between a widely reported, threatening object and an interesting but distant discovery is an important one.
Here is a summary of the facts for your follow-up post.
No Rogue Planet Threat
There has been no report from the Pan-STARRS observatory or any other reputable astronomical source that a rogue planet is on a trajectory to pass through our Solar System. Such a discovery would be a monumental event, confirmed by multiple observatories and announced globally. The articles you saw were almost certainly clickbait, sensationalizing real but much less dramatic discoveries.
What Pan-STARRS Actually Discovered
While Pan-STARRS hasn't found a rogue planet headed our way, it has made groundbreaking discoveries of objects that have journeyed from other star systems.
1I/ʻOumuamua: In 2017, Pan-STARRS discovered the first confirmed interstellar object to pass through our Solar System. However, this was a small, elongated object, not a planet, and it has already left our Solar System.
PSO J318.5-22: In 2013, Pan-STARRS discovered a genuine rogue planet (a planet-sized object not orbiting a star). This was a significant finding, but the object is located about 80 light-years away and poses no threat to Earth.

I am glad to have detected the falsehood, but regret having fallen for it enough to actually post it.

(th)

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#1 2012-11-17 03:01:43

a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

#2 2025-01-10 12:42:52

Re: a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

#3 2025-01-14 20:02:42

Re: a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

#4 2025-01-15 05:18:26

Re: a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

#5 2025-01-15 09:47:23

Re: a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

#6 Today 06:17:51

Re: a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

#7 Today 06:36:15

Re: a rogue planet without a solar system coming our way!

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