Strange New World Discovered: The 'Mega Earth'
Artist's impression
of Kepler-10c, an exoplanet that is 2.3 times the size of Earth and 17 times
more massive. DAVID A. AGUILAR
(CFA)
Meet “mega-Earth,” a
souped-up, all-solid planet that, according to theory, should not exist.
NASA's Kepler telescope was launched to find other planets
just like Earth -- and now, scientists think they may have found not just one,
but three! Trace shows us where they are in the solar system and why the
discovery is so important.
First spotted by NASA’s Kepler space telescope, the planet
is about 2.3 times larger than Earth. Computer models showed planets that big
would be more like Neptune or the other gas planets of the outer solar system
because they would have the gravitational heft and time to collect vast amounts
of hydrogen and helium from their primordial cradles. Read more >>
Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/strange-new-world-discovered-the-mega-earth-140602.htm
Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/strange-new-world-discovered-the-mega-earth-140602.htm
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