Why Does NASA Think There Are 1,000,000,000,000 Starless Planets in Our Galaxy?

The video explores rogue planets, which are planetary-sized objects not bound to stars. It discusses their possible origins and the challenges in detecting them due to their lack of light emission. The video introduces gravitational microlensing as a technique to detect these planets, explaining how it works and its advantages over other methods. The role of the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in enhancing detection capabilities is highlighted. Current discoveries and future prospects in rogue planet research are also discussed.

What is a rogue planet?

• A planet that is part of a binary star system

• A planet that orbits multiple stars

• A planet that is not gravitationally bound to any star

• A planet that orbits a black hole

Which method is used to detect rogue planets?

• Direct imaging

• Transit method

• Radial velocity method

• Gravitational microlensing

How does gravitational microlensing help in detecting exoplanets?

• By detecting the brightness increase of a distant star

• By capturing direct images of the planet

• By observing the brightness dips of a star

• By measuring the wobble of a star

What causes the light from a distant galaxy to appear brighter due to gravitational lensing?

• The galaxy moves closer to us

• The light is bent around a massive object

• The light is absorbed by a massive object

• The galaxy emits more light

What is the main advantage of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in detecting rogue planets?

• It can detect planets in other galaxies

• It uses the radial velocity method

• It has a larger field of view than Hubble

• It can directly image rogue planets

Which ground-based program is NOT mentioned as hunting for rogue planets?

• Kepler

• OGLE

• MOA

• Super MACHO

What is the significance of OGLE 2012 BLG 1323?

• It is a rogue planet with a known atmosphere

• It is the first rogue planet discovered

• It is the smallest rogue planet candidate discovered

• It is the largest rogue planet discovered