Planets Without Stars or Mini-Solar Systems?

iamlucky13 writes "An article today on space.com discusses the discovery of 6 objects by the European Southern Observatory in Chile that are smaller than typical brown dwarfs, larger than Jupiter, and not orbiting any stars. The objects are surrounded by disks of gas and dust possibly similar to the early solar system. In addition to presenting astronomers with a new group of objects to study, the finding also deepens the debate over what makes a planet. The scientists responsible for the discovery sidestep the question by calling them 'Planetary Mass Objects,' or planemos."

Comments

Solar system

[commander_gallium]

Wouldn't the correct term be "star system" or "stellar system"?

Solar system refers to the Sun and its planets.

the finding also deepens the debate over what make

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

the finding also deepens the debate over what makes a planet

That must be 'deepens' as in the question of how many angels you can fit on a pinhead is deepened by the suggestion that maybe some angels are overweight.

There is nothing deep about what to call by the name 'planet'. Once there was a clear delineation between planets and non-planets. Now there isn't because we've seen objects that straddle the divide set by the old definition. Just define some new words. If astronomers can solve the solar neutrino problem then surely they can solve the 'define planet' problem. Reminds me of Wadler's Law.

Hmmm...

[Liam Slider]

Maybe the scientists should simply call them what they're already called....rogue planets.