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New Rogue Planet Discovered: 22% Jupiter's Mass, 3,000 Parsecs Away

1/6/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers measured the rogue planet KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516 as about 22% of Jupiter's mass and 3,000 parsecs from the Milky Way's center.
The planet likely formed in a planetary system and was ejected by gravitational interactions.
Microlensing observations from ground-based telescopes and Gaia enabled precise mass and distance measurements.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launching in 2027, will identify hundreds of free-floating exoplanets.
Science published the study.

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Story summary

Astronomers measured the rogue planet KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516 as about 22% of Jupiter's mass and 3,000 parsecs from the Milky Way's center.
The planet likely formed in a planetary system and was ejected by gravitational interactions.
Microlensing observations from ground-based telescopes and Gaia enabled precise mass and distance measurements.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launching in 2027, will identify hundreds of free-floating exoplanets.
Science published the study.