Astronomers have recorded an unprecedented increase in the mass of the planet

The wandering planet Cha 1107-7626 has become the fastest growing planetary object ever recorded by scientists. It absorbs 6 billion tons of gas every second and grows through the accretion process, which is more typical for stars than for ordinary planets. This was reported by Science Focus magazine.

The planet began actively absorbing the gas surrounding it just a few months ago and is now "eating up" 6 billion tons (2.2 trillion pounds) per second. According to the researchers, this makes it the most "voracious" planet in the history of observations.

Cha 1107-7626 has a mass 5-10 times that of Jupiter and is located at a distance of 620 light-years. As a "wandering" object, it does not revolve around a star, but moves independently through space.

"People may think of planets as calm and stable objects, but this discovery shows that planets floating freely in space can be incredibly dynamic," said Victor Almendros—Abad, an astronomer at Italy's National Institute of Astrophysics.

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Cha 1107-7626 is surrounded by a disk of gas and dust that falls onto its surface, allowing the planet to grow through the accretion process. Over the past year, astronomers have noticed a sharp increase in the rate of gas absorption. By August 2025, the planet was collecting eight times more gas than it had a few months ago.

Now scientists do not fully understand where the wandering planets come from. There are two main hypotheses: they either form around a star and then are ejected into space, or grow independently from a cloud of gas and dust, like stars.

The researchers analyzed the planet's light before and during the growth spurt. They found that a strong magnetic field was directing the fall of gas onto the planet. In addition, during the accretion period, water vapor appeared around it, which had not previously been observed in infant planets.

"The idea that a planetary object can behave like a star is inspiring and makes us think about what worlds beyond our system might be like in the early stages of development," said Dr. Amelia Baio from the European Southern Observatory, who also participated in the study.

Astronomy magazine reported on September 15 that NASA presented an article about the Perseverance find, an unusual Cheyava Falls rock in the Jezero crater on Mars, which was discovered in 2024. It was noted that the stone contains organic molecules and minerals that are usually associated with the activity of microorganisms on Earth. Acting head of NASA Sean Duffy stressed that this find may be the clearest sign of life that has ever been discovered on the Red Planet.

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