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Image depicting a diamond which makes up the surface of 55 Cancri e in our planet news

Planet news – Planet 55 Cancri e is made of diamonds

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It’s time for some Planet news!

Diamonds are one of the most precious gems on Earth. Experiments show that there are planets out there in our universe that may be full of them. Just imagine that an entire planet packed with this sought-after gemstone!

55 Cancri e is a super-Earth, located in our Milky Way galaxy. This planet is about twice our Earth’s size. The planet zooms around its star in 18 days. It has a surface temperature of nearly 2,700 degrees Celsius, which is really hot. It has been named the “diamond planet”. Why? Because scientists believe that it’s made up of diamonds and graphite.

55 Cancri e was discovered in 2004. Scientists say that at least a third of the planet’s mass is likely pure diamond. But it also contains iron, silicon carbide, and potentially silicates.

This “diamond planet” is about 40 light-years away from Earth. However, with our current technology, it would take almost 1 million years to get there.

Hope you enjoyed reading our Planet news. We hope you learn more about our planets, the Milky Way and all the scientific experiments and research that is being done on them. Keep reading Curioustimes for exciting space news for children.

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