(Image Credit: MIT)
A planet titled Kepler 78b is the smallest exoplanet with a known mass and size, and its lava oceans simmer at a toasty 2760 Degrees Celcius. In other words, its not the most suitable planet to be going for a swim on.
The exoplanet, which is around 700 light years away from Earth, is very similar to Earth’s proportions, being 1.2 times the size of Earth, and having 1.7 times the mass of our little green planet, with density almost exactly the same. The exoplanet is so close to the star it orbits – which it completes a full orbit of in 8.5 hours – that nothing could possibly live on the firey surface.
According to scientists, it is believed that Kepler 78b consists mostly of rock and iron.
‘It’s Earth-like in the sense that it’s about the same size and mass, but of course it’s extremely unlike the Earth in that it’s at least 2,000 degrees hotter,’ said Dr Josh Winn, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US.
‘It’s a step along the way of studying truly Earth-like planets.’
Check out all the details here on The Daily Mail.
