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An illustration of the interior of 55 Cancri e — an extremely hot planet with a surface of mostly graphite surrounding a thick layer of diamond, below which is a layer of silicon-based minerals and a molten iron core at the center. REUTERS/Haven Giguere/Yale University

The rocky planet, called '55 Cancri e', orbits a sun-like star 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 with a mass eight times greater. That would give it the same density as Earth, although previously observed diamond planets are reckoned to be a lot more dense.

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.

The study - with Olivier Mousis at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie in Toulouse, France - estimates that at least a third of the planet's mass, the equivalent of about three Earth masses, could be diamond.

Diamond planets have been spotted before but this is the first time one has been seen orbiting a sun-like star and studied in such detail.

"This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth," Madhusudhan said, adding that the discovery of the carbon-rich planet meant distant rocky planets could no longer be assumed to have chemical constituents, interiors, atmospheres, or biologies similar to Earth.

David Spergel, an astronomer at Princeton University, said it was relatively simple to work out the basic structure and history of a star once you know its mass and age.

"Planets are much more complex. This 'diamond-rich super-Earth' is likely just one example of the rich sets of discoveries that await us as we begin to explore planets around nearby stars."

"Nearby" is a relative concept in astronomy. Any fortune-hunter will find Cancri e about 40 light years, or 230 trillion miles, from New York.

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Sat May 25 04:45:10 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 12, 2012

KHOROMMBI1

Motsepe and his Marikana holigans must go there, and mine all that diamond!
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Oct 12, 2012

Nobza

Wow!!! This just go to show that no one really knows what the universe really holds. Scientist or not. Bet Adam, Eve and their in laws are residing at some faraway planet we speak.
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Oct 12, 2012

!!!Sinudeity!!!

LOL, this is STRAIGHT out of Arthur C. Clarks novel, 2061: Odyssey Three.

Hehe, in the book, two spaceships are sent to the planet. The Shaka and the Zulu, and the main character is an Afrikaans dude :P
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Oct 12, 2012

Phuphethakatha

@KHOROMMBI1
Motsepe and his Marikana holigans must go there, and mine all that diamond!
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The creator knew that men will stop at nothing to get what they want. The diamond is covered in granite and the core is molten iron(at least iron is ready for use). 230 trillion miles away! Then how many miles can one generation travel in a space ship? There definitely will be some generations of kids born, grow old enough and die in the space ship before the destination could be reached.
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Oct 12, 2012

guiliano

Zama-zamas are going to create their own space ships in order to get the diamond, i give that planet two years people will come with a plan for it and even a we speak some are already planning for it.
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Oct 12, 2012

Shredder

Do they want to go harvest diamond now. Actually I watched something on TV not long ago. I think the lady who was talking was from the Wits University planetarium. She said something like gold came from a certain planet and old those theories. She tried to explain but unfortunately I couldn't really grasp what she said.
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Oct 12, 2012

Shredder

Hihihihihi. This one is for Dzel and some other guy. I don't remember exactly who it is. I don't think it is MGEEZ.
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Oct 12, 2012

Shredder

@guiliano
Zama-zamas are going to create their own space ships in order to get the diamond, i give that planet two years people will come with a plan for it and even a we speak some are already planning for it.
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They won't get there. They will only salivate for the diamond.
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Oct 12, 2012

Shredder

"the discovery of the carbon-rich planet meant distant rocky planets could no longer be assumed to have chemical constituents, interiors, atmospheres, or biologies similar to Earth."

Meaning what exactly?
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Oct 12, 2012

!!!Sinudeity!!!

Shredder - Mmm, is it on how gold is formed?
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