Not all planet are bond to stars . In interstellar blank , there is a class of major planet - sized objects commonly refer to as rogue planets . We do n’t have intercourse how many of these rogue satellite live , but a new study put out inThe Astronomical Journalsuggests these heavenly body might outnumber the hotshot in the Milky Way .
The research used current knowledge to promise just how powerful the coming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be at detecting rogue planets . The researchers calculate that it will be 10 time more sensitive than existing observatories . If so , it will be able to discover scallywag satellite as low as Mars all the way up to jumbo - sized throttle objects .
“ There have been several rogue planet bring out , but to really get a perfect picture , our best wager is something like Roman . This is a totally new frontier , ” lead source Samson Johnson , a grad researcher at The Ohio State University , said in astatement . “ This gives us a window into these creation that we would otherwise not have . Imagine our little rocky major planet just floating freely in space – that ’s what this mission will help us rule . ”
The scope will apply a proficiency known as gravitational microlensing . Any mass in the universe warps space - time . Extreme physical object like black holes do that in a spectacular way . The same move for massive coltsfoot and clusters of galaxies , which can create unbelievable gravitative lenses , exaggerate the light of a screen background extragalactic nebula .
Planets can also do that but in a much more moment way . If a rogue major planet passes in front of a lead from the point of sight of the Roman Telescope , it will somewhat exchange its light , which the blank space observatory will discover .
“ The existence could be teem with rogue planets and we would n’t even know it , ” add co - author Professor Scott Gaudi , also at Ohio State . “ We would never find out without undertaking a exhaustive , space - based microlensing view like Roman is go to do . ”
The research worker are confident that based on observations from the Roman Telescope when it ’s up and running , it will be potential to put a definite upper limit on the figure of rogue planet in our galaxy . The observatory is named afterNancy G. Roman , NASA ’s first chief astronomer , and it is expected to be launch in the next five years .
