According to a study published yesterday in the science journal Nature, astronomers have discovered a new Earth-like planet, deemed a "super Earth" because it has a radius nearly 2.7 times larger than our planet. The planet, which has the less-than-euphonious technical designation GJ 1214b, is about 42 light years away in another solar system.
The planet's density suggests it is about 3/4 water and 1/4 rock. It may have a gaseous atmosphere, although it is too hot to sustain life as we know it, according to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Its temperature is estimated to be between 536 and 248 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun around which it orbits is about 1/5th the size of the Sun.
These temperatures are actually relatively low, as GJ 1214b is much smaller, cooler, and more like Earth than any other known exoplanet, according to Zachory Berta, a graduate student who first spotted hints of the planet's existence.
www.gather.com
www.gather.com
1 comments:
Er ist ganz nah und aus supraflüssigem Wasser
Post a Comment