Found: A Rogue Planet

Scientists have spotted a ‘rogue planet’. Just what is a rogue planet, you might ask? It’s a planet that is floating on its own through space. It doesn’t orbit a star, nor is it part of a stellar system. It’s just bopping along through space without any companions of any kind. It would be nice if it had a moon or two keeping it company, but I didn’t find any mention of that possibility.

Also known as free-floating planets, rogue planets are mysterious because they are much less bright than other planets—the kind that do belong to a stellar system. A key way to detect planets is to spot them when they move in front of their star. But without a star, planets are much harder to see.

Scientists spotted this rogue using a micro-lensing event, which is when the gravity from an object magnifies the light from a star located behind it. That effect was seen from both ground- and space-based telescopes. Astronomers compared the different positions in order to work out the mass of the planet. It is roughly 22% the mass of Jupiter and it is located around 3,000 parsecs from the Milky Way’s center. (A parsec is about 3.26 light-years of distance.)

The planet’s mass indicates it probably formed in a planetary system, but it has since broken free. It is thought that lower mass rogue planets may be thrown out into space by big gravitational changes in their system, which might happen by interactions with nearby planets or unstable stars.

There have only been a small number of rogue planets found so far. The number is expected to increase, particularly through the launch of Nasa’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

I wonder if any of these rogue planets ever find a new home in a new stellar system?

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-spot-rogue-planet-drifting-through-space/ar-AA1TstP6?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=695838991e254e038f06ec3ae1010c2a&ei=72

Alien Life Inside Ancient Cave

Late last year, it was reported that scientists had opened a cave that had been untouched for 5 million years. Romania’s Movile Cave was discovered by accident in 1986. What scientists found inside is unlike anything else on Earth. Although the cave’s air is thick with carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, which is toxic to humans, life thrives there. Dozens of species, including blind spiders, translucent worms, and sulfur-eating bacteria—have evolved in absolute isolation. This makes it one of the most alien ecosystems in the world.

Movile Cave is located in southeastern Romania. Its entrance was blocked by layers of limestone and clay, which created an oxygen-starved ecosystem. The creatures inside evolved by adapting to a world of darkness, sulfuric air, and acidic pools.

Oxygen levels in the cave are 7-10 percent, which is less than half of what humans need for survival. Suffocation can happen within minutes. Nevertheless, these species have adapted to extract oxygen efficiently and to feed on bacterial mats growing on the cave’s walls and pools.

Rather than relying on photosynthesis, life in the cave depends on chemosynthesis; bacteria convert sulfur and methane gases into usable energy. Small creatures feed on the bacteria or each other.

Over 50 species discovered inside Movile Cave are not found anywhere else on the planet. Genetic studies suggest that some of these species split from their ancestors millions of years ago.

Movile Cave offers a possible glimpse of early Earth before plants rose to dominate the surface. Scientists are uncovering how ancient organisms might have survived.

Although Movile Cave’s ecosystem is called ‘alien’, it isn’t used to mean extraterrestrial. It is unfamiliar and other worldly. The survival mechanisms are unknown in typical environments. Because its food web is self-contained, it could indicate what could exist on moons like Europa and Enceladus.

Mobile Cave is so sensitive, even small disturbances could disrupt its balance. The introduction of surface microbes or changing the airflow could devastate the ecosystem. Therefore, only a few specialized researchers have access to the cave.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-open-a-cave-untouched-for-5-million-years-and-discover-alien-life-inside/ss-AA1QhRmq?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6956ca7648d9426898dfaf4b7eb5a94b&ei=97