Massive Floating Planet Detected Near Our Solar System Dubbed "SIMP" by the researchers that detected it, The 200 million-year-old planet was detected using a radio telescope and is about 20 light years from Earth. Melodie Kao, lead researcher Caltech, via 'Newsweek' The surface of the planet is thought to be extremely hot with temperatures of over 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers previously thought SIMP was a "brown dwarf," or failed star. Brown dwarfs are too big to be considered planets, yet too weak to be considered stars. In terms of its size, SIMP falls just short of being a brown dwarf with a radius of 1.22 the size of Jupiter. It's thought that SIMP's magnetic field With no sun to help create the dancing lights, scientists think SIMP's aurora may be powered by an orbiting moon or planet.