A scorching, rocky planet twice Earth's size has a thick atmosphere, scientists say

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A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that's twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system. Researchers reported Wednesday that the rocky planet 55 Cancri e is wrapped in a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, making it one of the few planets outside our solar system to have a thick atmosphere.

This illustration provided by NASA in 2017 depicts the planet 55 Cancri e, right, orbiting its star. A thick atmosphere has been detected around the planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a solar system about 41 light years away, researchers reported Wednesday, May 8, 2024. DALLAS — A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday.

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. The exoplanet 41 light years away is eight times heavier than Earth and circles its star Copernicus so closely that it has permanent day and night sides. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles . Its surface is encrusted with magma oceans.A faster spinning Earth may cause timekeepers to subtract a second from world clocks

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.

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