Washington: Astronomers have captured a remarkable event unfolding 620 light years away in the constellation Chamaeleon a young free floating planet dramatically consuming its surroundings. The celestial body known as Cha 1107 7626 is estimated to be only about one to two million years old and has a mass roughly five to ten times that of Jupiter.

Scientists from the European Southern Observatory and collaborating institutions observed that the rogue planet recently entered a sudden growth spurt devouring gas and dust at an astonishing rate of around six billion tons every second. This makes it the most powerful accretion event ever recorded for a planetary mass object.

What makes this discovery even more intriguing is how the planets behaviour mirrors that of a newborn star. Typically stars grow by pulling in material from surrounding disks through strong magnetic fields a process rarely observed in planets. The findings suggest that Cha 1107 7626 may be forming in a way more similar to stars than traditional planets challenging long held distinctions between the two.

The planets feeding frenzy was first detected using the European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope in Chile which captured light signatures revealing massive inflows of gas. Follow up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope confirmed the scale and speed of the accretion.

Researchers believe this event offers a rare glimpse into the chaotic early stages of planetary and star formation. The strong and sudden increase in mass intake about eight times higher than recorded in previous months highlights how unpredictable the growth of such objects can be.

Cha 1107 7626s activity may also provide clues about how rogue planets those that drift freely through space without orbiting a star are born. Scientists are debating whether such planets form independently like stars or are ejected from star systems after their birth.

Though the current burst of growth will not dramatically change the planets overall mass astronomers say it represents one of the most dynamic examples yet of how the universes smallest and youngest worlds come to life.

The study led by European Southern Observatory researchers and published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters marks a milestone in understanding how cosmic bodies evolve and reminds us that even in the vast emptiness of space young worlds can still make a big impact.