Not a Brown Dwarf but a Rogue Planet

[RasputinLives]

So one of the recently discovered Brown Dwarf stars has now been discovered to not be that at all but a planetary mass hurtling along outside the solar system. Twice the size of Jupiter with twice the magnetic field.

Mysterious 'rogue' planet spotted outside solar system | Metro News

It's classed as a rogue planet - which is fitting because in my head a planet has to be a mass orbiting a star otherwise it's a very large asteroid. Apparently my thinking is too simplistic though and it's all to do with size and magnetic fields.

I still don't really get it too much though. It may be technically classed as a planet but how does it differ from an asteroid really as it's a large rock flying through space. How come it gets to be planet but Pluto doesn't?

Also I think we need to start campaigning for NASA to give these things they find better names. Just giving it a load of letters and numbers ain't going to catch anyone's imagination. Give it a proper name. It's travelling so why not St Christopher or something. Jyn Erso? I dunno.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Pluto is a dwarf planet. If this thing is as you say, twice the size of Jupiter then it's a flipping big rock and deserves planet status.

 

[RasputinLives]

But its not orbiting a star and seems to be travelling through space so why is it not just classed as a giant asteroid? I guess there must be a definition somewhere that I just either haven't seen or haven't understood.

 

[siffert_fan]

Asteroids are, by definition, rocky bodies. Something as big as this appears to be has to be a ball of gas, and therefore cannot be classified as an asteroid.

 

[Greenlantern101]

I would of been in orbit around a star but got thrown out by a close pass by another planet. There are probably a huge number of these but we just can't see them as they are cold dark objects

 

[Titch]

Yes Greenlantern101 there is a theory that planets get thrown out of solar systems during the early days of the systems formation. Of course it’s only a theory, there is no observable proof. However a rogue planet hurtling through space makes the theory a bit more plausible.
Or else it’s the Empires Death Star.

 

[RasputinLives]

Or just a big massive cloud of gas.

 

[Titch]

I think clouds of gas and giant planets behave differently. I’m going for the Billy no mates planet, slung out of some solar system.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I'm going to call it "Planet Trump"

A mysterious ball of hot gas that suddenly appeared. No one is quite sure where its from or where its going. It may or may not be a threat to us all.

 

[RasputinLives]

If it turns out to be orange coloured I don't know how you can't call it that.