Yes planets can definitely be "free floating" without a star. These type of planets may have been ejected from their first, original star system. Scientists often refer to this as "rouge planets" or "normad" planets. Another way they can form is by the condensation of material in much the same way as stars themselves. These are normally called "sub-brown dwarfs". The closest rogue planet to be discovered yet is 'S Ori 52' a member of the Orion star system and is around 80 light years away. Some recent studies have suggested that there might be more free floating planets in the Milky Way than stars!
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| An example of a rogue planet |
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