Astronomers spot Rogue planet growing faster than expected

Rogue planet Cha 1107-7626 (Image: ESO)

Astronomers have detected a rogue planet rapidly gathering surrounding gas. The object, named Cha 1107‑7626, lies roughly 620 light-years away. It is approximately five to ten times of Jupiter’s mass.

The planet is surrounded by a disc of gas and dust. Material is falling onto its surface at extreme rates. Observations indicate about six billion tonnes of material per second.

Recent data shows the accretion rate increasing sharply over months. This sudden burst of growth is rarely observed in planetary systems. Astronomers suggest magnetic activity may drive this rapid accumulation.

During the accretion episode, water vapour appeared in the surrounding disc. Prior to the burst, the vapour was not detectable at all. This chemical shift reveals dynamic processes during planetary formation.

Cha 1107‑7626 challenges traditional distinctions between stars and planets. Rogue planets may form similarly to stars rather than ejected gas giants. The discovery provides insights into isolated planetary formation mechanisms.

This sudden accretion of the planet was observed in the X-shooter spectrograph of the Very Large Telescope. The phenomenon was verified by data of the James Webb Space Telescope and archival observations. Variations of instruments were used to obtain depth analysis.

This rogue planet demonstrates that the process of planets formation can be surprisingly violent. The bursts may affect atmospheres of the planets and the possible moon formation. This can be observed later to determine whether the galaxy has been frequent cases of such events.

Astronomers plan long-term studies of other free-floating planets in Chamaeleon. Understanding these growth spurts could revolutionise planetary formation models. Cha 1107‑7626 reminds us how dynamic planets truly are.