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Waterworld discovery?

  • 21-02-2012 4:58pm
    #1
    Cork boy 55
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭


    Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere.
    The exoplanet GJ 1214b is a so-called "Super Earth" - bigger than our planet, but smaller than gas giants such as Jupiter.
    Observations using the Hubble telescope now seem to confirm that a large fraction of its mass is water.
    The planet's high temperatures suggest exotic materials might exist there.
    "GJ 1214b is like no planet we know of," said lead author Zachory Berta, from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.



    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17117030
    Tagged:


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  • #2
    Bohrio
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,752 ✭✭✭Bohrio


    Cork boy 55 wrote: »
    Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere.
    The exoplanet GJ 1214b is a so-called "Super Earth" - bigger than our planet, but smaller than gas giants such as Jupiter.
    Observations using the Hubble telescope now seem to confirm that a large fraction of its mass is water.
    The planet's high temperatures suggest exotic materials might exist there.
    "GJ 1214b is like no planet we know of," said lead author Zachory Berta, from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.



    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17117030

    Great news, I was reading about it earlier today

    Whats interesting is that the planet orbital radius to its parent star can be as close as a couple of million kms.. Temperatures on the planet can be as high as a few hundred degrees kelvin..


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