Astronomers have discovered that pairs of free-floating objects with masses close to Jupiter are drawn into each other’s orbits. This is a schematic diagram. (Jon Lomberg/Gemini Observatory)
[The Epoch Times, February 14, 2024](Epoch Times reporter Chen Juncun reported) Astronomers have discovered that there are pairs of freely floating celestial bodies with masses close to Jupiter that attract each other and are attracted to each other’s orbits. This discovery gives them a new understanding of this rare celestial system and challenges existing theories of star and planet formation.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory pointed out in a press release issued on February 12 that in the solar system, planets are attracted to orbit around the sun. But what happens to planet-sized objects that don’t orbit a star?
A team of astronomers is studying the “Jupiter-mass binary object” (JuMBO) in the Orion Nebula. They found that these giant, free-floating objects are drawn into each other’s orbits. This gave them new insights into these rare systems.
The Epoch Times previously reported that objects like JuMBO are too small to be stars, and they cannot be classified as planets because they do not orbit their parent star.
In this study, astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory to observe these objects.
The high sensitivity of these astronomical instruments allowed astronomers to detect smaller and fainter objects in space, which also contributed to this groundbreaking discovery.
Astronomers searched for 40 JuMBOs discovered last year by European Space Agency (ESA) astrophysicists Samuel Pearson and Mark McCaughrean. Surprisingly, they detected only one pair of objects in the radio spectrum, JuMBO 24.
In this system, the radio luminosity (the energy emitted by radio waves, which can be measured in the radio spectrum) of these two objects is higher than that detected in brown dwarfs many. Brown dwarfs share similarities with these objects.
This remarkable discovery challenges established theories of star and planet formation. The anomaly has astronomers raising questions and offers research opportunities to further understand the properties of these floating objects.
Luis F. Rodriguez, emeritus professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), who participated in the study, emphasized the importance of the study.
“What’s really remarkable is that these objects may have moons like Europa or Enceladus,” he said. Moons all have underground oceans that may support life. “
The press release concluded that the detection of radio waves from this pair of floating objects is a major milestone in the exploration of the universe. It also represents an opportunity to further study the potential habitability of exoplanets.
The above research results were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in January.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
