Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Rogue Planet Cha 1170-7626 Surges in Unprecedented Growth

10/12/2025

25 3

Summary

Story summary

Cha 1170-7626, a rogue planet 600 light-years from Earth, is undergoing an unprecedented growth spurt.
It has five to ten times Jupiter's mass and accretes six billion metric tons of gas and dust per second.
Observations from the Very Large Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope show the growth rate surged eightfold in recent months.
Researchers say the behavior resembles star formation, possibly aided by the planet's magnetic field.

1 of 1

Story summary

Cha 1170-7626, a rogue planet 600 light-years from Earth, is undergoing an unprecedented growth spurt.
It has five to ten times Jupiter's mass and accretes six billion metric tons of gas and dust per second.
Observations from the Very Large Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope show the growth rate surged eightfold in recent months.
Researchers say the behavior resembles star formation, possibly aided by the planet's magnetic field.