Overview

• The peer‑reviewed study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters reports VLT X-shooter observations from April to August 2025, with the accretion rate peaking in August at roughly eight times the spring level.
• Cha 1107‑7626 is a free‑floating planetary‑mass object about 620 light‑years away with an estimated mass of 5–10 Jupiters and a circumplanetary disk feeding the burst.
• Complementary data show the disk’s chemistry changed during the event, including water vapor detected during the burst but not beforehand.
• Analysis indicates strong magnetic fields likely funneled material onto the object, a mechanism previously associated with young stars.
• Archival evidence of a 2016 high‑accretion episode suggests such bursts may recur, and teams plan expanded monitoring with ELT, Rubin, Roman, and continued JWST/VLT follow‑up.