Two disc-shaped objects collide, ejecting super-planets.

(NLĐO) - The origin of a mysterious roving object, heavier than all the planets in the solar system combined, has just been revealed.

According to SciTech Daily, an international research team has just identified a frightening phenomenon that could explain the origin of planetary-mass objects (PMOs) – the mysterious nomads we sometimes encounter in the galaxy.

The Orion Nebula and the Trapezium star cluster are places where rogue planetary-mass objects frequently appear - Photo: NASA

PMOs are planet-like in nature but much larger. Their mass can be up to 13 times that of Jupiter, which is significantly heavier than all the planets in our solar system combined.

Living a nomadic life, wandering freely without being held captive by any parent star, their origins have long puzzled scientists .

However, a research team from the University of Zurich (Switzerland), the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, the University of Hong Kong (China), and the University of California Santa Cruz (USA) has discovered a possible mechanism that could give rise to this type of "monster" planet.

Rogue planets are found in large numbers in young star clusters, for example, Trapezium in the constellation Orion.

In stellar nurseries like Trapezium, teeming with young stars, the surrounding protoplanetary disk remains intact, much like our Sun in its "infancy."

The authors simulated close encounters between two protoplanetary disks of this type. They found that if they collide, or even just get close to each other, their gravitational forces are enough to strongly deform the gas, creating connecting structures known as "tidal bridges".

When the two discs separate, this bridge collapses into dense fibers, which then break down into compact cores. These are the PMO seeds.

In star-forming regions like the Trapezium cluster, these types of disk encounters occur very frequently.

Although floating freely and not bound by a parent star, these nomadic planets still follow paths synchronized with the stars in the cluster. Many PMOs retain a thin disk of gas and dust upon formation, enough to form moons or even planets around them.

"This discovery is somewhat reshaping how we view the diversity of the universe," co-author Lucio Mayer concluded, adding that the new research results suggest that PMO should be considered a third type of object, neither a star nor a planet.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hai-vat-the-hinh-dia-va-cham-ban-ra-cac-sieu-hanh-tinh-196250318103149441.htm