The discovery team involved researchers from Massey, Auckland, Canterbury and Victoria universities, as well as from Japan and the United States.
The scientists used a method called microlensing to discover the planets. Microlensing is a technique which takes advantage of the fact that light gets bent as the rays pass close to a massive object such as a star and makes the area act like a giant magnifying glass.
The discovered planets are Jupiter-sized which orbit no star, are believed to be about thousands of light years away towards the constellation of Sagittarius.
The researchers have pointed out that to the naked eye, the planets would be pitch black, as they emit no light.
The researchers expect that the planets were formed around stars and then, during the later stages of planet formation got ejected, primarily due to interactions with other planets.
The experts believe that the discovery indicates there are many more free-floating Jupiter-mass planets that ca not be seen easily. Further it has been estimated that there are about twice as many of them as stars.
