Are you one of those lucky people who had the privilege of going to prom? No, we’re not talking about some socially awkward moment in your high school gymnasium where your school tried to create a weirdly adult-like environment for teenagers. We’re talking about PROM—PROMare, the planetary retrograde orbiting microlensing event that has astronomers worldwide collectively freaking out.

Now, we know what you’re thinking: “OMG, like, another astronomy thing? I’m so bored with black holes and Mars rovers and Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s sass!” But stick with us here, because PROMare is cooler than that time when Katy Perry got Elon Musk to send her CD to outer space. And we all know how lit that was.

To start off, this prom is happening in space—like, 25,000 light-years away from Earth. Imagine a giant telescope for this exclusive dance floor, where all the astronomers will try to peek in and figure out who the heck just started twerking with that gigantic star. Yeah, we thought that might get your attention.

Now, the story behind this prom is like the best sci-fi-romance-thriller ever. It involves two stellar dance partners, a heavy-weight white dwarf (not like those Lord of the Rings dudes) and a skinny-yet-mysterious unseen body (not the bikini kind, though). The dance itself is an intergalactic remix of Dirty Dancing that has one of the partners orbiting the other, going so close that they nearly collide, only to be saved by gravity’s intense force. Cue Patrick Swayze’s ghost (yeah, we know he’s not a real ghost, chill out) clapping and shouting, “Nobody puts baby in the corner!”

Here’s where the PROM gets juicy: This delicate dance that the white dwarf and the unseen body are doing? It’s called microlensing. And when astronomers first observed it back in 2011, they were utterly shook. The reason is that microlensing, in essence, is like a massive intergalactic mirror reflecting light from nearby stars. This allows scientists to not only catch a glimpse of these far-off space happenings but also opens up possibilities for discovering exoplanets.

Did you catch that? PROMare might help us find planets we didn’t even know existed! It’s like partying in some underground rave in outer space where a brand-new world pops up, all shiny and waiting to be explored.

Now, you might be wondering, “But why is this called a planetary retrograde orbiting event? Is it something like a Mercury retrograde?” We feel you, fellow astrology fans, but PROMare isn’t about messed-up communications or tech snafus. This “retrograde” refers to the fact that the two celestial dance partners are in a backwards or opposite motion in their orbit. And if that doesn’t blow your mind, we don’t know what will.

The possibilities that PROMare presents to scientists are pretty groundbreaking, not to mention astronomically (sorry, had to) cool. From finding new planets to understanding the mysteries of our universe, it’s time to strap in and embrace the endless wonders of outer space.

So, the next time you see that little word “prom” floating around the interwebs, remember that there’s an interstellar, insanely wild dance party going on up there, way beyond our little planet. And hey, you might even be invited one day. Just make sure to RSVP for PROMare—you wouldn’t want to miss it for the world (or, you know, the universe).