What is the origin of irregular binary planets?

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has once again demonstrated its extraordinary capabilities in deep space exploration. This year JWST shed light on: Mysterious rogue planets in the Orion Nebula, reveals that a staggering 9% of these planets are in large binary pairs. This discovery changes the understanding of planet formation.

recently discovered 540 Jupiter-mass floating objectThe 40 weakly coupled pairs in the Trapezium cluster (called JuMBOs – Jupiter Mass Binary Objects) have generated significant interest in the astrophysics community.

Discovery of rogue planets

Rogue planets are planets that do not have a star to orbit. First identified in 2000 by Lucas and Roche using the UK Infrared Telescope, these planets were found mainly in the Orion Nebula. Recently, JWST has conducted further research in this region, revealing new aspects of these mysterious objects.

In December 2021, a major milestone occurred with the launch of JWST on an Ariane 5 rocket. Since JWST reached its position near the Earth-Sun Lagrange point, it has been crucial for peering into the depths of the Universe. focusing specifically on the wayward planets of the Orion Nebula.

JWST Groundbreaking Discoveries

The team, led by Simon F. Portegies Zwart of the Netherlands, announced the discovery of 42 binary Jupiter-mass objects (JuMBOs) in the Trapezium cluster at the heart of the nebula. These JuMBOs differ significantly in mass and distance from each other. some have masses 14 times that of Jupiter. Additionally, 540 rogue planets have been detected, on top of discoveries made two decades ago.

Stars are often formed by the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds, causing disks to form around them and eventually turning into planets. But the discovery of JuMBOs challenges our understanding of planet formation. The team’s research, available on the arXiv preprint server, explores the origins of these unique binary systems.

To solve the mystery of JuMBO’s formation, astronomers simulated star cluster environments similar to the Orion Nebula. first models, focused on the formation of planets around starsfailed to replicate the observed number of box pairs.

A breakthrough occurred with simulations of lunar planets orbiting stars, offering a plausible explanation for the origins of JuMBOs. These systems appear to have been removed from their original solar systems and are now floating freely in space. This research not only highlights JWST’s capabilities, but also opens new perspectives in our quest to understand the complexity of the universe.

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