Universe is a mysterious concept which never seems to surprise humans. The planet, a so-called "super-Earth," is called 55 Cancri e and was discovered in 2004 around a nearby star in our Milky Way galaxy. After estimating the planet's mass and radius, and studying its host star's composition, scientists now say the rocky world is composed mainly of carbon (in the form of diamond and graphite), as well as iron, silicon carbide, and potentially silicates.
At least a third of the planet's mass is likely pure diamond. A rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth, The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite."55 Cancri e is the first likely "diamond planet" to be identified around a sun-like star, though such worlds have been theorized before. Planets like this are vastly different from our Earth, which has relatively little carbon."By contrast, Earth’s interior is rich in oxygen, but extremely poor in carbon — less than a part in thousand by mass, 55 Cancri e is what's known as a super-Earth, with a radius twice as wide as that of our own planet, and a mass eight times greater.
It speeds around its host star, making a full orbit in just 18 hours.It is so close in to the star that its surface temperature reaches a scorching 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit, making it probably way too hot for life.
The new findings suggest the planet has no water at all.The revelation of the planet's diamond nature means that it could have very different thermal evolution and plate tectonics processes than Earth, which could create bizarre types of volcanism, seismic activity, and mountain formation.
55 Cancri e is one of five planets encircling a sun-like star called 55 Cancri, which lies about 40 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cancer. This star is so close it is visible to the naked eye.
The diamond planet's value is theorized to be around $26.9 nonillion ($26.9 followed by 30 zeros)
At least a third of the planet's mass is likely pure diamond. A rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth, The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite."55 Cancri e is the first likely "diamond planet" to be identified around a sun-like star, though such worlds have been theorized before. Planets like this are vastly different from our Earth, which has relatively little carbon."By contrast, Earth’s interior is rich in oxygen, but extremely poor in carbon — less than a part in thousand by mass, 55 Cancri e is what's known as a super-Earth, with a radius twice as wide as that of our own planet, and a mass eight times greater.
It speeds around its host star, making a full orbit in just 18 hours.It is so close in to the star that its surface temperature reaches a scorching 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit, making it probably way too hot for life.
The new findings suggest the planet has no water at all.The revelation of the planet's diamond nature means that it could have very different thermal evolution and plate tectonics processes than Earth, which could create bizarre types of volcanism, seismic activity, and mountain formation.
55 Cancri e is one of five planets encircling a sun-like star called 55 Cancri, which lies about 40 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cancer. This star is so close it is visible to the naked eye.
The diamond planet's value is theorized to be around $26.9 nonillion ($26.9 followed by 30 zeros)
