Researchers have discovered a thick atmosphere enveloping a planet called 55 Cancri e, which is twice the size of Earth and located in a nearby solar system.
A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday. The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The exact amounts are unclear. Earth’s atmosphere is a blend of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and other gases.
The research was published in the journal Nature. Super Earth refers to a planet’s size — bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. The boiling temperatures on this planet — which can reach as hot as 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit – mean that it is unlikely to host life. Instead, scientists say the discovery is a promising sign that other such rocky planets with thick atmospheres could exist that may be more hospitable.
To identify the makeup of its atmosphere, researchers studied Webb Space Telescope observations before and after the planet passed behind its star. They separated the light emitted from the planet versus its star and used the data to calculate the planet's temperature. There's evidence the planet's heat was being distributed more evenly across its surface – a party trick atmospheres are known for. Gases from its magma oceans may play a key role in holding its atmosphere steady.
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A scorching, rocky planet twice Earth's size has a thick atmosphere, scientists sayA thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that's twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system.
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A scorching, rocky planet twice Earth's size has a thick atmosphere, scientists sayA thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that's twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system.
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A scorching, rocky planet twice Earth's size has a thick atmosphere, scientists sayA thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that's twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system
Read more »
A scorching, rocky planet twice Earth's size has a thick atmosphere, scientists sayA thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that's twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday.
Read more »