NASA finds its first ‘super-Earth’ exoplanet with an atmosphere

Astronomers at NASA, working with the ESA and the University College London, announced Tuesday that they have discovered a “super-Earth” exoplanet with an atmosphere for the first time. The Hubble telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) first spotted the planet, dubbed 55 Cancri e, which is only about 40 light years away. Super-earths are simply rocky planets that are bigger than the Earth — in this case, eight times bigger. They’re widely believed to be the most common type of rocky planet in the galaxy. http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/17/nasa-finds-its-first-super-earth-exoplanet-with-an-atmosphere/ But don’t expect to find life there.

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