Astronomers discover unimaginably large diamond in space

[Bosonic]

Astronomers have discovered a planet twice the size of Earth made largely out of diamond which is orbiting a star that is visible with the naked eye.

The rocky planet, called '55 Cancri e', orbits a sun-like star 40 light years away in the constellation of Cancer and is moving so fast that a year there lasts a mere 18 hours.

Discovered by a U.S.-Franco research team, its radius is twice that of Earth's but it is much more dense with a mass eight times greater. It is also incredibly hot, with temperatures on its surface reaching 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit (1,648 Celsius).

"The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite," said Nikku Madhusudhan, the Yale researcher whose findings are due to be published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/11/us-space-diamond-planet-idUSBRE89A0PU20121011

[BlueStreak]

1. Just in time for the holiday season

Don't even think about giving a measly 1 carat diamond.

[BlueStreak]

2. I nominate Newt Gingrich to colonize this diamond planet

[malthaussen]

3. MItt will buy the planet to give Ann a ring this year n/t

[Foolacious]

4. It's not denser.

If the radius is twice that of Earth, then the mass would be 8 (2 cubed) times as much as that of Earth if it's the SAME density as Earth.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Well spotted; here's a better article, from Yale

Astronomers had previously reported that the host star has more carbon than oxygen, and Madhusudhan and colleagues confirmed that substantial amounts of carbon and silicon carbide, and a negligible amount of water ice, were available during the planet’s formation.

Astronomers also thought 55 Cancri e contained a substantial amount of super-heated water, based on the assumption that its chemical makeup was similar to Earth’s, Madhusudhan said. But the new research suggests the planet has no water at all, and appears to be composed primarily of carbon (as graphite and diamond), iron, silicon carbide, and, possibly, some silicates. The study estimates that at least a third of the planet's mass — the equivalent of about three Earth masses — could be diamond.

“By contrast, Earth’s interior is rich in oxygen, but extremely poor in carbon — less than a part in thousand by mass,” says co-author and Yale geophysicist Kanani Lee.

The identification of a carbon-rich super-Earth means that distant rocky planets can no longer be assumed to have chemical constituents, interiors, atmospheres, or biologies similar to those of Earth, Madhusudhan said. The discovery also opens new avenues for the study of geochemistry and geophysical processes in Earth-sized alien planets. A carbon-rich composition could influence the planet’s thermal evolution and plate tectonics, for example, with implications for volcanism, seismic activity, and mountain formation

http://news.yale.edu/2012/10/11/nearby-super-earth-likely-diamond-planet

[Posteritatis]

9. Isn't science journalism great? (nt)

[yesphan]

5. De Beers weeps.

[tridim]

7. Could the system have inhereted a white/brown dwarf?

Or maybe the host star ripped one apart after the system was formed?

[knitter4democracy]

8. They got the name wrong.

It's Midnight.
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Midnight