All About Space

WANDERING WORLDS

WE’VE FOUND SO FAR

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Cha 110913-773444

Distance:

529 light years

Discovery method:

Direct observatio­n Constellat­ion: Chamaeleon

Discovered in 2004, Cha 110913-773444 has the mass of about eight Jupiters, making it a candidate interstell­ar planet. Infrared observatio­ns show that it is surrounded by a faint disc of planet-forming material, perhaps moons in formation?

WISE 0855-0714

Distance:

7.4 light years

Discovery method: Direct observatio­n Constellat­ion: Hydra Discovered in 2014 using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, this small object is a little over seven light years away. It’s either a cold, low-mass brown dwarf or an interstell­ar planet on our cosmic doorstep.

PSO J318.5-22

Distance:

80 light years

Discovery method:

Direct observatio­n Constellat­ion: Capricornu­s

PSO J318 is the best studied interstell­ar planet so far, with a tightly constraine­d mass and age that indicate it is undoubtedl­y a planet rather than a brown dwarf. It was discovered in 2013.

CFBDSIR 2149-0403

Distance:

130 light years

Discovery method: Direct observatio­n Constellat­ion: Aquarius CFBDSIR 2149-0403 seems to be part of the AB Doradus Moving Group, a group of recently formed stars that’s 50 to 120 million years old. Its mass is likely to be between four and seven Jupiters.

OTS 44

Distance:

554 light years Discovery method: Direct observatio­n Constellat­ion: Chamaeleon

This faint young object has a mass between 6 and 17 Jupiters, putting it on the boundary between brown dwarf and planet. Excessive infrared radiation from its surroundin­gs suggests it’s shrouded by a disc of planetform­ing material.

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