Discovery of Rogue Planet with Unprecedented Mass Growth

European Southern Observatory reported Cha 1107-7626, a rogue planet, accreting gas and dust at 6 billion tonnes per second.
Cha 1107-7626 formed like a star with magnetic activity driving mass infall during an accretion burst.
VLT and James Webb Space Telescope observed 1.5-2 magnitude brightening and mass 5-10 times Jupiter.
Accretion burst lasted two months, suggesting recurring EXor-type bursts.
This is the strongest growth rate ever recorded for a planetary-mass object.
Rogue planets number trillions in the Milky Way, 20 times more than stars.

Astronomy | Astrophysics | Planetary Science

Chile

1 month ago