U.S. (ChattahBox) – A new planet has been discovered 40 light years away, and is believed to be the first ever discovered that is made almost entirely out of water.
The planet, named GJ 1214b, is 2.5 times as large as Earth, and 6.5 times as heavy in mass.
The atmosphere’s makeup is unknown, but scientists believe it to be thin, allowing for the oceans that cover almost the whole thing to be hot.
“We think this planet is mostly made of water, with a thin atmosphere surrounding it, perhaps of hydrogen and helium,” David Charbonneau of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said.
“The surface of our planet probably wouldn’t be anything like the surface of Earth and therefore wouldn’t host life as we know it.”
GJ 1214b orbits a “feeble” red star about once every 38 hours.To see an artist’s rendition, visit the source link below.
from: http://chattahbox.com/science/2009/12/17/new-planet-discovered-believed-to-be-mostly-water/
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