<quote>
Mini planetary systems may orbit cosmic objects that are 100 times
smaller than our Sun, research suggests.
Discs of gas and dust, the ingredients needed to create such systems,
have been seen circling these relatively small objects, dubbed "planemos".
If the discs were capable of evolving larger aggregations of
material, it would blur the definition of the word "planet", scientists said.
The work was presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Canada.
Cosmic newborns
The study is based on observations from European Southern Observatory
(ESO) telescopes. It looked at a number of recently identified
planemos (an unofficial term sometimes used to describe planetary
mass objects).
Located about 450 light-years away in a star-forming region, four of
the objects are just a few million years old, making them cosmic
"newborns". They have masses between five and 15 times that of Jupiter.
But unlike Jupiter, these objects are floating through space without
an accompanying star.
[snip...]
Professor Jayawardhana, who also worked on the study, added: "The
diversity of worlds out there is truly remarkable. Nature often seems
more prolific than our imagination."
</quote>
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