China's astronomers solve 25-year mystery of PMOs in deep space
China DailyThe James Webb Space Telescope captured images in the near-infrared wavelength range of the region near the Trapezium Cluster in the Orion Nebula. On Thursday, an international team led by China's Shanghai Astronomical Observatory cracked the code in Science Advances: Violent collisions between newborn stars' gaseous disks in crowded stellar nurseries are mass-producing these rogue worlds. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope observed hundreds of PMOs in Orion's Trapezium Cluster — a vast population far exceeding predictions of the "Failed Star" hypothesis. "PMOs are neither stunted stars nor runaway planets," said lead researcher Deng Hongping of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. "The Trapezium Cluster is the ultimate PMO factory — its crowded, fast-moving stars maximize collisions," Deng said.
Discover Related