‘Runaway’ planets theory

Runaway “warp speed” planets could be flying through the galaxy and beyond at a sizeable fraction of the speed of light, scientists now believe.

Computer simulations predict black holes are acting like slingshots to rip planets from their orbits and fling them through space at colossal speed.

“These warp speed planets would be some of the fastest objects in our galaxy,” said astrophysicist Dr Avi Loeb, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Massachusetts.