Newly Discovered Planet May Have Oceans
12.17.09 |
Astronomers believe a newfound planet is a water world with a solid core of iron and nickel and an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Scientists speculate it's made up of about three-quarters liquid water. That's somewhat similar to Earth, but researchers say that in most other ways the planet is a "very different beast." Named GJ 1214b, the planet is nearly three times larger than Earth and about six-and-a-half times more massive. They say its atmosphere is ten times thicker than Earth's. Such immense atmospheric pressure would hinder the existence of life as we know it. Also, very little light would be able to get through the haze to reach the oceans. GJ 1214b is orbiting a star some 40 light-years away. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal "Nature."
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