'Super-Earth' Atmosphere Detected

Astronomers say they have detected remnants of an atmosphere on an exoplanet. Writing in the Astrophysical Journal, researchers say 55 Cancri e, which is about 40 light years away from Earth, has a “significant amount of hydrogen and helium” left over from when the planet formed. “This is a very exciting result because it’s the first time that we have been able to find the spectral fingerprints that show the gases present in the atmosphere of a super-Earth,” said Angelos Tsiaras, a...

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