An international team of astronomers has observed part of the final death throes of the largest known star in the Universe as it throws off its outer layers. The discovery, by a collaboration of scientists from the UK, Chile, Germany, and the US, is a vital step in understanding how massive stars return enriched material to the interstellar medium — the space between stars — which is necessary for forming planetary systems.
Daily Archives: October 22, 2013
A Strange Lonely Planet Found without a Star
An international team of astronomers has discovered an exotic young planet that is not orbiting a star. This free-floating planet, dubbed PSO J318.5-22, is just 80 light-years away from Earth and has a mass only six times that of Jupiter. The planet formed a mere 12 million years ago—a newborn in planet lifetimes.