Is this the loneliest planet in space? Astronomers have discovered a new planet that orbits a distant star 1 trillion kilometers away, writes Science World Report. The space between the lonely planet, known as 2MASS J2126, and its orbiting star is equal to 7000 times the distance between Earth and the sun, according to a new study. 2MASS J2126 is more than 700 times further away from its host star...but how such a wide planetary system forms and survives remains an open question, Dr. Simon Murphy, coauthor of the study from the Australian National University, said in a news release. Astronomers often classify planets like 2MASS J2126 as gas giants - or planets that have little in the way of nuclear reactions, much like Jupiter. The planet was found and categorized as a low mass object due to its youth, during an infrared sky survey. The researchers believe that the planet forms part of the ‘Tucana Horologium Association - a group of stars and brown dwarfs that are roughly 45 million years old. According to the study, 2MASS J2126 is not so alone in its distance from its host star - it has company in the form of another young star known as TYC 9486-927-1. The two are located 104 light years from the sun and move through space together. As 2MASS J2126 is still in its youth and therefore low in mass, it is categorized as a free floating planet. Despite its low mass, researchers calculate that the new planet is 11.6 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter - the largest planet in our solar system. Its orbit path around its host star is one of the widest ever discovered by astronomers. Researchers think that it could take up to 900,000 years just to complete a single orbit. This is the widest planet system found so far and both the members of it have been known for eight years, Dr. Niall Deacon, lead author of the study, said in a news release. But nobody had made the link between the objects before. The planet is not quite as lonely as we first thought, but its certainly in a very long distance relationship. The study was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Agencies
