However, what constitutes a planet in particular is a question that may seem very simple but has been escalating in complexity as scientists discover new planets that defy the classical definition.

Astronomers have recently tracked a massive rogue planet, referred to as a “super-Jupiter,” that is drifting toward our solar neighborhood. This discovery has captured the attention of the scientific ...

While most planets that we are familiar with stick relatively close to their host star in a predictable orbit, some planets seem to have been knocked out of their orbits, floating through space free ...

Scientists now have direct evidence that a planet — not just failed stars — can rove the galaxy after a violent expulsion from its orbit. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / R. Hurt illustration Astronomers ...

Planets usually stay close to their host stars, tracing steady paths shaped by gravity. Yet some planets break free and drift alone through the Milky Way. Astronomers call these objects free-floating ...

Peking University, January 2, 2026: A lucky alignment of space- and ground-based telescopes has enabled researchers to nail down the mass of a rogue planet for the first time. Unlike worlds in our ...