Scientists from NASA and Osaka University in Japan now believe that trillions rather than billions of planets are “stray” in the Milky Way galaxy. These roaming rogue planets, sometimes called wandering planets or nomads, formed around a star like other planets, but were then detached from their star’s gravitational pull for various reasons. It was originally believed that our own galaxy could contain billions of stray planets, but the actual number may be in the trillions.Rogue planets are much more than previously thought
David Bennett, senior research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said they estimate the Milky Way is home to 20 times more stray planets than stars. This equates to trillions of planets orbiting alone. The findings of the researchers were the result of a nine-year study known as Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics, or MOA for short.
As it is known, anything with mass bends the fabric of space-time. Space-time is bent in the same way that a hole forms when you place a bowling ball on a trampoline. Although we assume that light travels in a straight line, in fact, under these conditions, light also bends following curves. This interesting phenomenon has long been used by scientists to discover distant objects. Professor Takahiro Sumi of Osaka University says we can find objects such as low-mass planets and even primitive black holes using microlensing. Although we cannot see these objects directly, it is possible to detect their presence using gravity.
The Nancy Grace Rome Space Telescope, due to launch in May 2027, will help NASA find even lower-mass planets, which will help to better understand the mechanisms of planet formation.
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