55 Cancri e

Context: Researchers reported on Wednesday that they had detected a thick atmosphere around a planet twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system. This so-called super Earth, known as 55 Cancri e, is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a
significant atmosphere, wrapped in a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

o Super Earth refers to a planet larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune in terms of size.
o Boiling temperatures on 55 Cancri e can reach as high as 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
o Due to its extreme temperatures, it is highly unlikely that 55 Cancri e can host life.

About:

• Discovery and Name:
o Discovered on August 30, 2004.
o Initially named Janssen, it is also known as 55 Cancri e.

• Host Star and Location:
o Orbits a Sun-like host star, 55 Cancri A.
o Located approximately 41 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cancer, within our Milky Waygalaxy.
o A light year is the distance light travels in a year, approximately 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

• Planetary System:
o Among four other known planets orbiting its host star, all of which are gas giants.

• Characteristics:
o Mass is approximately eight times that of Earth.
o Diameter is about twice that of Earth.
o Innermost planet in its system, completing an orbit in less than 18 hours.

• Temperature:
o Extremely hot, with temperatures on the day side exceeding 3,000 Kelvin due to its proximity to its star.

• Atmospheric Observations:
o Infrared observations using instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope indicated the presence
of a substantial atmosphere.
o The atmosphere may be continuously replenished by gases released from a vast ocean of magma on the
planet\'s surface.
o Despite its close proximity to its star, the atmosphere may be sustained by gases dissolved in the lava
ocean.

• Significance:
o Represents the first rocky exoplanet discovered around a main sequence star, classified as a super Earth.
o Significant as previous exoplanets found to have atmospheres were gaseous, making 55 Cancri e a
milestone in exoplanet exploration.

• Exoplanets:
o Any planet beyond our solar system.
o Most exoplanets orbit other stars, while free-floating exoplanets, known as rogue planets, orbit the
galactic center and are not tethered to any star.

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