Floating Planet - has this been discussed?

[whooshbang]

Floating Planet

I love the artist impression.

[VigdisVZ]

These are suggested to be very common. And very Lovecraftian. Dark celestial bodies floating forever in the freezing void.

[Cath]

awwwwww

I wonder if their are any heading for solar system. Could spell trouble if one turns up!

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Hope it's not 'Mondias' the home of the 'original' Dr Who Cybermen.This was a free floating planet-in effect a planet-spaceship.They used to scare me even more than the Daleks as a kid.We could always hide behind a gigantic sofa,I suppose!

[jnb]

Saw that on the news this morning. My first thought was how do they find something like that? it's not going to be very bright! what sort of magnitude would it be? By way of comparison a quick look on stellarium suggests Jupiter's absolute magnitude is about 26 but this planet is not near any stars to light it so just how dim is it and how do they go about finding it?

I notice on the BBC report they showed photos from the infrared so and suggested it has a temperature of about 700K so is it self luminous in the infrared? is that the only way to see it? and if so why would it be self luminous, is it just residual heat following its formation and just how long would it take to become a cold dark truly invisible lump?

[sologuitarist61]

I have often thought when I read about stellar nurseries like Orion that all sizes of objects must be being formed in there, but that it is only the big stars that we tend to see. Perhaps this how this 'planet' formed. I would have thought that more likely than being kicked out of orbit around a parent star.

[whooshbang]

Thought this may get the conspiracy theorist going! Good old Cox to the rescue!

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/brian-cox-steps-in-to-dispel-myths-about--rogue--planet-and-mayan-apocalypse.html

[Cath]

Their's always someone out there ready and waiting for the next new discovery to use as the next excuse for the supposedly coming doom n gloom lol

Very apt ..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2231924/Are-getting-stupid-Researchers-claim-longer-need-intelligence-survive.html

[VigdisVZ]

Can all doomsday people just give me their money, if they think they wont need it?

[ncjunk]

I also would have thought that wandering planets would be common place.

It seems reasonable to conclude differing size objects could be "born" and that we only see the brightest i.e the stars.

Obviously the word common should be taken on a cosmological scale i'm not saying there's a whole gang of them waiting around the next dark ally to apocalypse our butts.

Don't even get me started on the whole is there life out there, if you're asking the question you obviously didn't understand it properly in the first place....the universe is teaming with life, planets and chocolate tea pots (although whether they contain tea or not remains one of lifes TRUE mysteries)

[Monty]

Damn, I just noticed my kitchen calendar runs out on December 31st...

THE END IS NIGH!!!