[SunkenCiv]

Loners. Particularly weird loners with unpronounceable names. Carrying an axe. Hitchiking . Yep, that's scary -- a storyline that has been used for generations to scare the pants off cinema-goers. So, what about loner exoplanets? There are thought to be loads of exoplanets out there, but a few of them are too small and too distant from their host stars to be detected by conventional telescopes. However, sometimes, astronomers get lucky and spot one of these extra-solar loners. Take MOA-2009-BLG-266Lb for example. (Sounds like a weirdo, right?) It's a "super-Earth" that would normally orbit its star too far away to be spotted. But, with the help of general relativity, its 10-Earth mass bulk bends spacetime just enough to focus its star's light when seen from Earth. This is known as a "microlensing" event, and though rare, it can pick out tiny rocky worlds floating far from home. And then there's the case of PSO J318.5-22 (pictured here) -- a free-floating exoplanet that appears to have lost its parent star all together. But then again, it might not be a planet at all, more of a "failed star." That moniker shouldn't give this lonely guy self esteem issues at all... These exoplanetary loners may not be carrying an axe, but they do pose many questions as to how they evolved so far away from their stars (if they had stars in the first place, that is). [V. Ch. Quetz/MPIA]

[JoeProBono]

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

What I find surprising is how emotionally invested NASA scientists are in finding life. I guess it helps their funding.

But what if there isn’t life out there?

In this vast universe we may be alone.

That is what would be mind blowing.

[PIF]

Sine red dwarfs are stable, they will be of no interest to the photino birds and, therefore, a safe place to live.

Stephen Baxter ... the Xeelee Series

[JoeFromSidney]

Also keep in mind that the photons from red dwarf stars are low energy. They don't have enough energy to support anything like photosynthesis.