Discovery of Rocky Planet Sporting an Atmosphere | 55 Cancri e or Janssen |

In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have finally located a rocky exoplanet with an atmosphere beyond our solar system, a crucial characteristic for the potential existence of life. Dubbed 55 Cancri e or Janssen, this "super-Earth" orbits dangerously close to a star similar to our sun, completing an orbit every 18 hours. Despite its molten surface and scorching temperatures reaching 3,140 degrees Fahrenheit, infrared observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal the presence of a substantial, albeit inhospitable atmosphere, potentially rich in carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and sulfur dioxide. Lead researcher Renyu Hu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech emphasizes the challenge of pinpointing the exact atmospheric composition, noting possibilities ranging from Earth-like to Venus-like thickness.
With a diameter twice that of Earth and about 8.8 times more massive, 55 Cancri e is one of the hottest-known rocky exoplanets, likely tidally locked to its star, much like the moon to Earth. Positioned approximately 41 light-years away in the constellation Cancer, this rocky world resides in a binary star system, with its host star bound to a red dwarf companion. Despite its unsuitability for life due to extreme heat, the discovery marks a significant advancement in exoplanet exploration, challenging previous assumptions that only gaseous planets possess atmospheres. As researchers continue to study distant worlds with the James Webb Space Telescope, the hope remains for future discoveries of more temperate exoplanets with the potential to support liquid water, a vital ingredient for life as we know it.
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[@Bird_McBride]

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[@pallas29]

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