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A pair of cosmic objects have been discovered in the central star cluster (bulge) of the Milky Way, moving at a record speed of 540 kilometers per second. Astronomers suggest that this may be the first known exoplanet orbiting a hypervelocity star capable of leaving our galaxy, writes Science Alert.
The objects were first spotted in 2011 through the effect of gravitational microlensing, where a massive body bends the light of a distant star. The study found that one object is 2300 times more massive than the other.
Scientists considered two versions: either it is a star-planetary system with a star lighter than the Sun and a planet 29 times more massive than the Earth, or a lone giant planet with a satellite.
In 2025, a new analysis using the Keck Telescope in Hawaii and the Gaia satellite confirmed that the object is 24 light-years away and is likely a star with a Neptune-sized exoplanet.
The speed of movement of objects is so high that they can overcome the gravitational pull of the Milky Way and enter intergalactic space.
The study is published in The Astronomical Journal. Scientists need another year of observations: if the star does not change position, this will confirm the version of a “wandering” planet with a satellite.
We previously reported that scientists have created a detailed simulation of a cosmic web that reveals the structures of dark matter in the Universe and connects two ancient galaxies. The team of researchers recorded the glow of the thread that traveled to Earth for almost 12 billion years.
A pair of cosmic objects have been discovered in the central star cluster (bulge) of the Milky Way, moving at a record speed of 540 kilometers per second. Astronomers suggest that this may be the first known exoplanet orbiting a hypervelocity star capable of leaving our galaxy, writes Science Alert.
The objects were first spotted in 2011 through the effect of gravitational microlensing, where a massive body bends the light of a distant star. The study found that one object is 2300 times more massive than the other.
Scientists considered two versions: either it is a star-planetary system with a star lighter than the Sun and a planet 29 times more massive than the Earth, or a lone giant planet with a satellite.
In 2025, a new analysis using the Keck Telescope in Hawaii and the Gaia satellite confirmed that the object is 24 light-years away and is likely a star with a Neptune-sized exoplanet.
The speed of movement of objects is so high that they can overcome the gravitational pull of the Milky Way and enter intergalactic space.
The study is published in The Astronomical Journal. Scientists need another year of observations: if the star does not change position, this will confirm the version of a “wandering” planet with a satellite.
We previously reported that scientists have created a detailed simulation of a cosmic web that reveals the structures of dark matter in the Universe and connects two ancient galaxies. The team of researchers recorded the glow of the thread that traveled to Earth for almost 12 billion years.
