Free-floating new red planet has no star

There's a new red planet, according to researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dubbed PSOJ318.5-22, the exotic young planet is about 80 light years from Earth. Unlike all other known planets, this one does not orbit a star and is considered free-floating.

Dr. Michael Liu's research team was on the look out for failed stars, known as brown dwarfs, when they came across PSO J318.5-22. The Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) telescope, located in Haleakala, Hawaii, first detected the planet's heat signature, and they confirmed the findings by using other telescopes on the Hawaii Islands. Despite being named "brown dwarfs," these are typically faint and red.

PSO J318.5-22 is redder and fainter the reddest brown dwarfs. The research team tracked the young planetary-mass object for two years. Studying this planet will give clues to other gas-giants, including Jupiter.

To read more about the research and its findings, click here.