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A free-floating-planet microlensing event caused by a Saturn-mass object.

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Title: A free-floating-planet microlensing event caused by a Saturn-mass object.
Authors: Dong, Subo (AUTHOR), Wu, Zexuan (AUTHOR), Ryu, Yoon-Hyun (AUTHOR), Udalski, Andrzej (AUTHOR), Mróz, Przemek (AUTHOR), Rybicki, Krzysztof A. (AUTHOR), Hodgkin, Simon T. (AUTHOR), Wyrzykowski, Łukasz (AUTHOR), Eyer, Laurent (AUTHOR), Bensby, Thomas (AUTHOR), Chen, Ping (AUTHOR), Wang, Sharon X. (AUTHOR), Gould, Andrew (AUTHOR), Yang, Hongjing (AUTHOR), Albrow, Michael D. (AUTHOR), Chung, Sun-Ju (AUTHOR), Han, Cheongho (AUTHOR), Hwang, Kyu-Ha (AUTHOR), Jung, Youn Kil (AUTHOR), Shin, In-Gu (AUTHOR)
Source: Science. 1/1/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6780, p96-99. 4p.
Subjects: Microlensing (Astrophysics), Gas giants, Protoplanetary disks, Gravitational lenses, Planetary systems, Gravitational interactions
Abstract: A population of free-floating planets is known from gravitational microlensing surveys. None have a directly measured mass, owing to a degeneracy with the distance, but the population statistics indicate that many are less massive than Jupiter. We report a microlensing event—KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516, which was observed from both ground- and space-based telescopes—that breaks the mass-distance degeneracy. The event was caused by an object with 0.219 − 0.046 + 0.075 Jupiter masses that is either gravitationally unbound or on a very wide orbit. Through comparison with the statistical properties of other observed microlensing events and predictions from simulations, we infer that this object likely formed in a protoplanetary disk (like a planet), not in isolation (like a brown dwarf). Dynamical processes then ejected it from its birthplace, producing a free-floating object. Editor's summary: Gravitational microlensing causes the apparent brightness of a background star to vary when a foreground object passes across our line of sight. The mass and distance of the lensing object are usually degenerate parameters. Dong et al. have identified a microlensing event caused by a planetary-mass object with no associated host star (see the Perspective by Coleman). By combining observations from Earth and a distant spacecraft, the mass-distance degeneracy can be broken, allowing for measurement of the lensing object's mass, which is similar to Saturn's. The researchers argue that this free-floating object did not form in isolation but was ejected from a host planetary system by dynamical interactions. —Keith T. Smith [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: A free-floating-planet microlensing event caused by a Saturn-mass object.
– Name: Author
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dong%2C+Subo%22">Dong, Subo</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wu%2C+Zexuan%22">Wu, Zexuan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ryu%2C+Yoon-Hyun%22">Ryu, Yoon-Hyun</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Udalski%2C+Andrzej%22">Udalski, Andrzej</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mróz%2C+Przemek%22">Mróz, Przemek</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rybicki%2C+Krzysztof+A%2E%22">Rybicki, Krzysztof A.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hodgkin%2C+Simon+T%2E%22">Hodgkin, Simon T.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wyrzykowski%2C+Łukasz%22">Wyrzykowski, Łukasz</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Eyer%2C+Laurent%22">Eyer, Laurent</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bensby%2C+Thomas%22">Bensby, Thomas</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Ping%22">Chen, Ping</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wang%2C+Sharon+X%2E%22">Wang, Sharon X.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gould%2C+Andrew%22">Gould, Andrew</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Hongjing%22">Yang, Hongjing</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Albrow%2C+Michael+D%2E%22">Albrow, Michael D.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chung%2C+Sun-Ju%22">Chung, Sun-Ju</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Han%2C+Cheongho%22">Han, Cheongho</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hwang%2C+Kyu-Ha%22">Hwang, Kyu-Ha</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jung%2C+Youn+Kil%22">Jung, Youn Kil</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shin%2C+In-Gu%22">Shin, In-Gu</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Science%22">Science</searchLink>. 1/1/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6780, p96-99. 4p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microlensing+%28Astrophysics%29%22">Microlensing (Astrophysics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gas+giants%22">Gas giants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Protoplanetary+disks%22">Protoplanetary disks</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gravitational+lenses%22">Gravitational lenses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Planetary+systems%22">Planetary systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gravitational+interactions%22">Gravitational interactions</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: A population of free-floating planets is known from gravitational microlensing surveys. None have a directly measured mass, owing to a degeneracy with the distance, but the population statistics indicate that many are less massive than Jupiter. We report a microlensing event—KMT-2024-BLG-0792/OGLE-2024-BLG-0516, which was observed from both ground- and space-based telescopes—that breaks the mass-distance degeneracy. The event was caused by an object with 0.219 − 0.046 + 0.075 Jupiter masses that is either gravitationally unbound or on a very wide orbit. Through comparison with the statistical properties of other observed microlensing events and predictions from simulations, we infer that this object likely formed in a protoplanetary disk (like a planet), not in isolation (like a brown dwarf). Dynamical processes then ejected it from its birthplace, producing a free-floating object. Editor's summary: Gravitational microlensing causes the apparent brightness of a background star to vary when a foreground object passes across our line of sight. The mass and distance of the lensing object are usually degenerate parameters. Dong et al. have identified a microlensing event caused by a planetary-mass object with no associated host star (see the Perspective by Coleman). By combining observations from Earth and a distant spacecraft, the mass-distance degeneracy can be broken, allowing for measurement of the lensing object's mass, which is similar to Saturn's. The researchers argue that this free-floating object did not form in isolation but was ejected from a host planetary system by dynamical interactions. —Keith T. Smith [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Text: English
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