Astronomers at the University of Kansas have discovered an atmosphere surrounding a super Earth planet located in a nearby solar system. Known as 55 Cancri e, this planet is twice the size of Earth and has boiling temperatures reaching as high as 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite these extreme conditions, the discovery of an atmosphere around 55 Cancri e is strong evidence supporting the existence of an atmosphere on this planet.
The research was published in the journal Nature and provides hope that other rocky planets with thick atmospheres may exist and could potentially be more habitable. Super Earth planets are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, making them a promising target for future space exploration.
Scientists used the Webb Space Telescope to study 55 Cancri e’s atmosphere, observing changes in temperature as the planet passed behind its star. Evidence suggests that the planet’s heat is distributed more evenly across its surface, a characteristic typical of atmospheres. The researchers believe that gases from the planet’s magma oceans play a role in maintaining its atmosphere. Studying this super Earth could provide insights into the early evolution of planets like Earth and Mars, which may have initially had magma oceans that have since cooled.
Renyu Hu, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory involved in the research, views this as a unique opportunity to explore the early phases of planet evolution. According to him, “This discovery opens up new avenues for understanding how planets like ours formed and evolved.”