Scientists believe that the surface of planet 55 Cancri e is covered with diamonds and graphite. Also able to store and circulate heat thanks to the atmospheric layer.
Recently, scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – the United States Aerospace Agency (NASA) recently discovered the planet 55 Cancri-e, which is about 40 light years from Earth and pregnant. similar atmosphere. This result was published on Astrophysics on 11/16/2017.
Planet 55 Cancri e, discovered by astronomers at Yale University (USA), has a radius twice the size of Earth and weighs eight times that of our planet. Scientists believe that the surface of planet 55 Cancri e is covered with diamonds and graphite.
Analyzing data collected by the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2013, scientists found that 55 Cancri-e was twice the size of Earth and had an orbital period (orbiting the mother star) of about 18 hours .
Because it is too close to the mother star, 55 Cancri-e is “blocked by the tide”, which means that half of the planet is always day and the other half is always night.
The part that still faces the parent star above 55 Cancri-e has a temperature of around 2300 degrees Celsius, the opposite part is cooler between 1300 and 1400 degrees Celsius (the level can burn everything by standards on earth. ).
55 Cancri-e is also able to store and circulate heat thanks to its thick atmosphere. Without this atmospheric layer, the temperature difference between the two parts of the planet would be even greater.
Additionally, 55 Cancri-e’s atmosphere may contain water, nitrogen, or even oxygen – elements found in Earth’s atmosphere. However, since the surface temperature is so high, there is little chance of life on this planet.
Scientists still don’t understand why 55 Cancri-e maintains such a thick atmosphere. Theoretically, it would be blown away by the amount of radiation emitted by the nearby star.
Currently, scientists have not yet discovered another planet with characteristics similar to 55 Cancri e: flying close to its sun, having characteristics similar to “super-Earth” planets, because therefore 55 Cancri e is a subject of research appropriate.
