Lonely Giants: Rogue Planets in a Dark World
By Muaz Reza ’27
When we think of planets in the solar system, one vivid image comes to mind: multicolored spheres arranged in neat circular orbits around one flaming sun. However, many other planets occupy a less conventional reality. Within our universe are worlds – named ‘rogue planets’ – untethered to stars. They drift alone in the darkness, with no sunset or sunrise to illuminate their horizons, and their existence and origins stretch our current understanding of all celestial objects.
A rogue planet, as NASA explains, is any body that is not gravitationally bound to a star. Some of these objects may have once belonged to a solar system, but were subsequently ejected through one of a variety of methods. For example, early phases of solar system formation can be turbulent enough ...
