Discovery of other planets and life forms have always been ultimate quest for NASA and other space explorers. The quest has so far proven to be a tortuous one, springing more disappointments than success. However, the latest discovery which will definitely give NASA a much needed shot in the arm, is the sighting of nomad planets of unknown origin wandering in our milky way. As per the scientists these random cosmic entities do not orbit any particular star and they can be classified as a totally separate group of Alien world.
As per this new study these rogue planets, whose actual numbers may run up to thousands, are scrambling heedlessly in our Milky Way. This is a curious phenomenon, hitherto unseen , as planets generally remain locked around a particular star instead of wandering aimlessly in space.
The researchers at the Kavil Institute of Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), an autonomous body under Stanford University , asserts in their latest findings that such nomadic planets are actually a common feature in our bustling galaxy, teeming with various entities. In fact , what is more surprising that these rogue homeless planets are far more in numbers than actual stars in the Milky Way.
If these findings prove to be conclusive, then this rogue planet theory will completely dismantle the existing theories pertaining to planet formation. This new breed of planets will represent a totally different class of alien entity and will surely raise tantalizing questions about life beyond earth.
As per the researchers if any of these rogue planets turns out to be big and having substantial gravitational pull to have a thick atmosphere, then they may be able to trap enough heat for bacterial and other primitive forms of life to exist.
Given their nomadic nature, these planets definitely would not benefit from heat radiated from any particular parent star but instead will be able to generate heat organically through tectonic activity or internal radioactive decay.
As of now the exact characteristics and features of these entities remain shrouded in darkness. Some feel that they could be like other icy bodies ,which are quite prominent in the outer solar system. While they can also be similar to rocky asteroids or gaseous monsters like all the other planets in our solar system.
Over the past few decades, astronomers have hunted tirelessly for foreign planets outside our solar system. Till date more than 700 of these so called exoplanets have been pinpointed with all of them orbiting around a particular. So these latest findings of nomad planets with no discernible host planet is another fascinating discovery in man’s continuous quest to find life in space.
.