Chapter 1
The great escape
Chapter 2
Finding things in the dark
Chapter 3
Extreme environments
Chapter 4
The nomad neighbors
YOUR GOAL
Master of Rogue planets drifting alone
Ch 1 · The great escape
BETA
futura Steer drifting worlds through deep space to learn how rogue planets survive without a sun.
Fun Fact
Cosmic orphans: Astronomers estimate there are more rogue planets in the Milky Way galaxy than there are stars.
Glossary
ejection (noun)
The act or process of forcing or throwing something out. In 2011, researchers modeled how dying stars shed mass and eject orbiting planets into interstellar space.
The act or process of forcing or throwing something out. In 2011, researchers modeled how dying stars shed mass and eject orbiting planets into interstellar space.
Quiz
What term do astronomers use for planets that drift through space without orbiting any star?
Quiz
What happens to a planet's speed during a gravitational slingshot event that ejects it?
Quiz
Which nebula is famous for hosting a dense nursery of newborn stars and potentially ejected rogue planets?
Quiz
Which force is primarily responsible for ejecting rogue planets from their home systems?
Quiz
What is the main reason most rogue planets are thrown out of their home solar systems?