Astronomers have discovered the second nearest known extrasolar planet- a super-earth more than three times the mass of Earth, orbiting a star that’s only six light-years away.
The planet is some 3.2 times the Earth’s mass, Smithsonian reports. Their findings were published in ‘Nature’ on Wednesday.
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The exoplanet is orbiting Barnard’s star, the closest solitary star to our sun.
Barnard’s Star, a small red dwarf, has long been a prime planet-hunting target. From 1963 to 1972, the star was widely believed to host one or more gas giants, accounting for some of the earliest extrasolar planet claims that received widespread attention.
This planet, a frozen Super-Earth, orbits Bernard’s Star about six light-years away. https://t.co/eokjFm3ljk
— Smithsonian Magazine (@SmithsonianMag) November 15, 2018
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The research work drew out a quite unusual report of a super-cold planet. The proposed new planet is unlike anything in our own solar system, the researchers say that it might be larger than Earth and smaller than Neptune.
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