Scientists have been left baffled by a rapidly expanding “rogue” planet that’s experiencing an unprecedented growth spurt.
Despite humanity’s deep understanding of our own solar system, astronomers continue to uncover new and surprising phenomena in the far reaches of space.
Recently, researchers studying a planet located about 620 light-years from Earth in the Chamaeleon constellation—using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile—have found themselves puzzled by its extraordinary behavior.
Called Cha 1107-7626, this mysterious planet doesn’t orbit a star — yet it’s capturing scientists’ attention for an astonishing reason: it consumes around six billion tonnes of gas and dust every second.
According to a new study by European researchers published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the planet is estimated to be five to ten times the mass of Jupiter and is expanding at an incredibly rapid pace.
Even more astonishing, Cha 1107-7626 is now growing eight times faster than it was just a few months ago, making it the fastest planetary growth spurt ever recorded.
Víctor Almendros-Abad, an astronomer at the Astronomical Observatory of Palermo and lead author of the study, explained:
“People often imagine planets as calm and unchanging worlds, but this discovery shows that free-floating planetary-mass objects can be incredibly dynamic and fascinating.”
Although scientists now have a clearer idea of the size of this ‘rogue’ planet, many mysteries still remain.
Aleks Scholz, an astronomer at the University of St Andrews in the UK and co-author of the study, added:
“The true origin of rogue planets is still uncertain — are they the smallest bodies born like stars, or are they giant planets that were cast out from their original systems?”
Cha 1107-7626 appears to be growing much like a young star, greedily consuming everything within its reach. Young stars are also known to experience sudden growth spurts — a trait this rogue planet seems to share.
Just like stars, it possesses a magnetic field — unusually strong for an object of its mass — which helps it draw in and devour surrounding material.
Its intense feeding has even altered its chemical makeup. Initially, researchers detected water vapor in its atmosphere, but after the growth spurt, the vapor disappeared — another behavior more commonly seen in young stars.
Co-author Belinda Damian remarked, “This discovery blurs the boundary between stars and planets, offering a rare glimpse into the earliest stages of rogue planet formation.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail shortly after the study’s release, Dr. Scholz provided further insight into the findings.
“This rogue planet has mostly completed its growth,” he explained. “The most intense growth spurts likely occurred much earlier, when the object was still shrouded in dust and gas — completely hidden from our view.”
Dr. Scholz continued, “By the time we can observe them, they’re already close to their final form. The truly fascinating phase of their evolution happens while they’re still buried within a thick cloud.”
