Frigid Planet Detected Orbiting Nearby Star

A frozen and dimly lit planet, dubbed a "Super-Earth," may be orbiting the closest single star to our solar system, astronomers said Wednesday, based on two decades of scientific observations.  The planet, estimated to be at least 3.2 times more massive than Earth, was spotted circling Barnard's Star, a type of relatively cool and low-mass star called a red dwarf. Barnard’s Star is about 6 light-years away from our solar system, comparatively close in cosmic terms, and...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - mercredi 14 novembre 2018