According to a new study, stars often capture rogue planets-- that is, planets flung out of the solar system where they formed. Predictably, more massive stars capture more than less massive ones. Astronomers say there may be billions of planets in new systems.
A recent study concluded rogue planets may outnumber planets orbiting stars in our galaxy by as much as fifty percent. If even a good percent of those planets orbiting stars are in fact captured rogues, it suggests the early stages of solar system formation may be even more dynamic, chaotic, and explosive than previously thought. The traditional picture of planetary formation, after all, does not include worlds being ejected willy-nilly into interstellar space.
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