New Starless Planets Discovered w/ Dr Nick Rattenbury: 18 October, 2023

Our traditional model of the universe has always said that planets are formed with an accompanying solar system. That is, most stars have their own planets, and most planets have their own stars. However scientists have suggested that starless planets may exist. 

Now, a new telescope has taken images to prove that this is indeed the case. The James Webb Space Telescope has captured not one, but two planets orbiting each other, far away from the gravity of a sun. 

To find out more about this and what it means for us, Arno spoke to Dr Nick Rattenbury, a senior professor at the University of Auckland and the former president of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. 

Arno started off our interview by asking how these planets formed.