Astronomers have found a planet with a radius twice that of Earth, but a year there are only 18 hours on our planet.
The interesting planet above is named 55 Cancri E, orbiting a Sun-like star called 55 Cancri and located about 40 light years from Earth.
This planet was discovered in 2004. It was determined to be twice the size of Earth. However, a year on this planet lasts only about 18 hours, which is several times less than a year on Earth.
However, using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Canada’s MOST Space Telescope, Belgian scientists (led by Michael Gillon) have discovered that a year on the planet lasts only 18 hours on Earth.
In addition, the planet’s crust is made up of many volatile compounds such as water, nitrogen and carbon dioxide that make their atmospheres similar to those of Jupiter or Saturn.
Water on this planet represents 20% of its mass, while on Earth it is only 0.023%. However, they are located very close to the Sun and receive twice as much light as the Earth.
The parent star of 55 Cancri E, called 55 Cancri, is visible to the naked eye in the constellation Cancer. However, it is one of the lesser known five stars.
