FAR OUT

Astronomers Find Orbitless Planets

Jupiter-sized giants wander the Milky Way.

Good luck finding a mnemonic for remembering their names: Scientists have found 10 possible planets that don’t stay in a neat order like our solar system. That’s because they don’t have orbits—they just wander the Milky Way. The bodies, likely gaseous and as large as Jupiter, are apparently more numerous than stars within the galaxy. Astronomers say they believe the planets must have orbited stars at one time, but apparently were drawn or thrown out of their old paths. One said that if the findings are confirmed, it “would be really stunning.” A team of astronomers reported their findings in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.