A team of researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to uncover new details about SIMP 0136, a free-floating planet in the Milky Way that does not orbit a star.

How can we study the weather on distant exoplanets? Researchers in Ireland have found a new way to track weather patterns on distant worlds. The planetary-mass object SIMP 0136 was the first target for the technique. Changes in temperature and the vertical structure of its clouds primarily shape the weather on SIMP 0136. You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter. Studying weather on exoplanets and SIMP 0136 Astronomers said this month (September 15, 2026) they’ve found a way to decode weather on exoplanets. They used a new technique to look at a planetary-mass object called SIMP 0136. They found its weather is shaped primarily by changes in temperature and the vertical structure of its clouds. Exoplanets are worlds orbiting distant stars. A few decades ago, we hadn’t directly detected any. But today, using a variety of techniques, astronomers know 6,000+ exoplanets. They are all extremely far away, light-years beyond our solar system. And so they’re difficult to study. The researchers — at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland — said they used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for their observations. They said other astronomers...

Learn about SIMP-0136, a rogue planet emitting wavelengths that reveal patchy clouds and auroras similar to the Northern Lights.

Polarlichter gibt es nicht nur auf der Erde: Sie erhitzen auch die obere Atmosphäre des Braunen Zwergs SIMP-0136 – einem Himmelsobjekt zwischen Stern und Planet. Es ist erst die dritte Entdeckung dies...

Polarlichter gibt es nicht nur auf der Erde: Sie erhitzen auch die obere Atmosphäre des Braunen Zwergs SIMP-0136 – einem Himmelsobjekt zwischen Stern und Planet. Es ist erst die dritte Entdeckung dieser Art.