Astronomers Map Two-Faced Planet

Astronomers have mapped a two-faced planet where one side is “completely molten” and the other “almost completely solid.” 55 Cancri e, which is 40 light years away from Earth, is considered a “super Earth,” meaning it’s rocky. It’s twice as big as Earth and eight times as massive. The planet orbits its star so closely that a year lasts only 18 hours. It’s also “tidally locked,” meaning that like our moon, the same side always faces its star. That means the temperatures on the two...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - jeudi 31 mars 2016