Scientists at the Extreme Solar Systems III meeting in Hawaii announced Tuesday that a giant planet 300 light-years away was kicked out of its own solar system. The planet, known as HD 106906b, is believed to have experienced huge gravitational pushes from another planet or star in the proximity, which ultimately sent it outward, according to National Geographic. Although many scientists believe this process is what causes rogue worlds to make way into our galaxy, this is the first time they've seen the process in action.
"This whole picture of a dynamically disturbed planetary system is tremendously exciting," said Paul Kalas, who was part of the team that observed the planet. "We think the whole system has been recently disturbed by some violent gravitational interaction."
Although one of the theories for the planet's ejection was gravitational disturbance caused by a second large planet in the system, scientists came up empty when they searched for a massive planet in the proximity of HD 106906b, according to Tech Times.
After being pushed to the outskirts of its solar system, HD 106906b picked up a ring of debris along the way, which can now be examined by scientists to better understand the formation of solar systems, according to the Daily Mail.
HD 106906b is approximately 11 times larger than Jupiter and orbits a star that is slightly bigger than the Sun and, at just 13 million years old, is much younger than our planet. Scientists believe this ejection sheds light into the processes of young planetary systems and the potential for these kinds of planets to go rogue.
"It is entirely possible that through chaotic evolution, this planet will eventually find itself going rogue," said Caltech's Konstantin Batygin.
