Nearby super-Earth likely a diamond planet
Thursday, October 11, 2012 - 08:31
in Astronomy & Space
New research suggests that a rocky planet twice Earth's size orbiting a nearby star is a diamond planet. The planet -- called 55 Cancri e -- has a radius twice Earth's, and a mass eight times greater, making it a "super-Earth." It is one of five planets orbiting a sun-like star, 55 Cancri, that is located 40 light years from Earth yet visible to the naked eye in the constellation of Cancer. The planet orbits at hyper speed -- its year lasts just 18 hours, in contrast to Earth's 365 days. It is also blazingly hot, with a temperature of about 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers said, a far cry from a habitable world.