chinadaily.com.cn
    left corner left corner
    China Daily Website

    Astronomers find 'diamond planet'

    Updated: 2012-10-13 02:17
    ( China Daily)

    Twinkling stars are not the only diamonds in the sky. Scientists on Thursday reported the existence of a "diamond planet" twice the size of Earth, and eight times its mass, zooming around a nearby star.

    Astronomers find 'diamond planet'

    An illustration showing the planet 55 Cancri e, an extremely hot planet with a surface of mostly graphite surrounding a thick layer of diamond, below which is a layer of silicon-based minerals and a molten iron core at the center. Yale University Handout

    In fact, this is not the first diamond planet ever discovered, but it is the first found orbiting a sun-like star.

    The discovery means that distant rocky planets can no longer be assumed to have chemical constituents, interiors, atmospheres, or biological conditions similar to those of Earth, said lead researcher Nikku Madhusudhan, a Yale postdoctoral researcher in physics and astronomy.

    The planet was first observed last year — but researchers initially assumed it was similar in its chemical make-up to Earth.

    It was only after a more detailed analysis that the French-American research team determined the planet is vastly different from our own.

    It "appears to be composed primarily of carbon (as graphite and diamond), iron, silicon carbide and, possibly, some silicates", the authors wrote in a statement ahead of the publication of their findings in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

    "The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite," he explained.

    In fact, the planet, dubbed 55 Cancri e, appears to have no water at all. And as much as one-third of the planet‘s substantial mass could be made of diamond, a super-dense compound of carbon.

    In comparison, the Earth‘s interior is rich in oxygen and very poor in carbon, explained Kanani Lee, also from Yale and another of the study‘s co-authors.

    The researchers estimated the planet‘s radius with data collected while it was transiting in front of its star.

    That information, combined with an estimate of its mass, was used to model the planet‘s chemical composition, based on a calculation of just what elements and compounds could result in that specific size and mass.

    The planet‘s orbit around its star is lightning fast — a year lasts just 18 hours. And because it is so close to its star, the surface temperatures average 2,148 C, rendering it completely inhospitable to life.

    But the planet — 40 light years away from Earth in the Cancer constellation — opens new avenues for studying geochemical and geophysical processes of Earth-sized planets outside our solar system.

    The high levels of carbon may have implications for how volcanoes and earthquakes work and how mountains form — and add to the growing body of evidence that planets are far more numerous and varied than initially imagined.

    "Stars are simple — given a star‘s mass and age, you know its basic structure and history," said David Spergel, a Princeton University astronomer.

    "Planets are much more complex. This 'diamond-rich super-Earth‘ is likely just one example of the rich sets of discoveries that await us as we begin to explore planets around nearby stars."

    Agence France-Presse in Washington

    8.03K
     
    ...
    h无码动漫在线观看| 永久免费无码日韩视频| 亚洲av无码乱码在线观看野外 | 无码少妇精品一区二区免费动态| 婷婷五月六月激情综合色中文字幕| 亚洲V无码一区二区三区四区观看 亚洲爆乳精品无码一区二区三区 亚洲爆乳无码一区二区三区 | 日本中文字幕一区二区有码在线| 色欲狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕 | 精品无码一区二区三区电影| 亚洲精品国产日韩无码AV永久免费网| 天堂Aⅴ无码一区二区三区 | 国产乱码精品一区二区三区中文 | 无码AV片在线观看免费| 中文字幕不卡高清视频在线 | 在线中文字幕精品第5页| 亚洲精品无码成人片在线观看 | 人妻少妇伦在线无码专区视频| 亚洲欧美精品一区久久中文字幕 | 亚洲美日韩Av中文字幕无码久久久妻妇 | 国产成人亚洲综合无码精品| 亚洲精品无码不卡在线播HE | 中文字幕精品视频在线| 亚洲中文字幕无码久久2017| 日韩精品无码免费一区二区三区| 丝袜无码一区二区三区| 亚洲欧洲中文日韩久久AV乱码| 国产乱码精品一区二区三区中文| 亚洲精品无码av天堂| 亚洲AⅤ无码一区二区三区在线| 亚洲国产精品无码久久SM| 亚洲精品无码乱码成人| 免费无码午夜福利片69| 国产AV无码专区亚洲AV漫画| 久久亚洲日韩看片无码| 中文字幕AV中文字无码亚| 2014AV天堂无码一区| 亚洲一区二区三区AV无码| 亚洲Av永久无码精品三区在线 | 国产热の有码热の无码视频| 国产a级理论片无码老男人| 精品深夜AV无码一区二区|