'Super Earth' Alien Planet Orbiting Sun Like Star Detected By Ground Based Telescope For The First Time

‘Super Earth’ Alien Planet Orbiting Sun Like Star Detected By Ground Based Telescope For The First Time

Astronomers have found a ‘Super Earth’ planet orbiting a star just like our sun using a ground based telescope for the first time. 

The Nordic Optical Telescope on La Palma, off the coast of Africa, detected the planet 55 Cancri E orbiting a star 44 light years from Earth.

This planet is twice the size of Earth, and orbits its parent star with a much tighter orbit than our own. It is not thought to be habitable, but its size and position make it similar to planets that could support life 

55 Cancri E has a diameter of about 16,000 miles and is eight times heavier than Earth. It completes an orbit around its star every 18 hours, and though that means it is much too hot for life to exist on its surface it also gives scientists a great opportunity to actually find it.

Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/15/super-earth_n_6326024.html

‘Super-Earth’ Alien Planet Spotted by Ground-Based Telescope  http://www.space.com/27904-super-earth-exoplanets-ground-based-telescopes.html

Image credit: NASA