# New Exoplanet Is Twice Earth’s Size — and Made Largely of Diamond



## micropage7 (Oct 12, 2012)

The planet, 55 Cancri e, is located around 40 light years from Earth and has a mass eight times that of our planet. With that knowledge in mind, now picture a third of that mass being made up of graphite and diamond. Or just look at the artist’s impression above, created by the team at Yale University and Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie in Toulouse, which represents the ratio of diamond to, well, everything else. Earth, by comparison, has “less than a part in thousand by mass”.
“On this planet there would basically be a thin layer below the surface which will have both graphite and diamond,” lead author on the paper Nikku Madhusudhan told Universe Today. “But, below that there will be a thick layer (a third of the radius) with mostly diamond. For a large part the diamond will be like the diamond on Earth, except really, really pure. But at greater depths the diamond could also be in liquid form.” So once we’ve nailed warp drive and can hop over to the planet, expect the cost of diamonds to plummet significantly.

“This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth,” said Madhusudhan in a press release. “The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite.”


The planet, part of the constellation of Cancer that’s clearly visible from Earth sans-binoculars, is the first exoplanet to display these unique properties — in 2011 a “diamond planet” was spotted in the constellation of Serpens, but that planet did not orbit a star similar to our Sun and was not studied in such detail. The two do share certain characteristics, however, For instance, a year on the fast-orbiting 55 Cancri e lasts just 18 hours, while the Milky Way planet’s orbit lasts around two hours.

The team presumably used radio telescope data to determine the mass, diameter and orbit of the 1,648 C-hot 55 Cancri e (the method and results are yet to be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters), which in turn was used to estimate the make-up of the planet. We do know that the team used computer models to estimate possible planetary compositions from the data, with updated information on its mass being key. The most likely explanation for this planet’s formation, the models concluded, is a water-light recipe of carbon — in the form of graphite and diamond — and silicon carbide, which is a combination of silicon and carbon. There will also be smaller amounts of iron.

The find, though providing us with a wonderful mental image, means that in our hunt for Earth-like exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars, we can expect to find plenty more disappointingly uninhabitable sites, such as the water planet GJ 1214b (another great and satisfying mental image, however).

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/diamond-exoplanet/


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## tacosRcool (Oct 13, 2012)

So, how much would that planet be worth?


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## Delta6326 (Oct 13, 2012)

Dang if I was superman I would fly there grab a big chunk take it back to Earth and hide it, slowly selling piece by piece...


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## KainXS (Oct 13, 2012)

steal only a piece 

I'd steal so many pieces only the graphite was left if I were superman, 

my fortress would be renamed to the Fortress of Diamonds.


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## Delta6326 (Oct 13, 2012)

It would be a big piece like 2x2acre that way I can build a house inside and all the pieces that I hollow out I will sell.


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## darkvaderelectron (Oct 13, 2012)

*Dude?*

well if u even manage to get a little chunk out of that planet no matter what the size it is it will always be worth less considering costs bigger the chunk is more the cost is and also just imagine on that planet aliens will be thinking same as we do they want dirt out of our planet and we want diamond of their planet i my opinion there is Already enough diamond in our planet that we will never need to go to the planet ( Siriusly it will take gazillion years to get there ) also we have artificial diamonds for science stuff and natural for our wives also if u Google there are many alone planets made out of diamonds some of um are entirely made of diamonds YES entirely BUT its just science friction and its just pointless since we can't get there at all


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## tacosRcool (Oct 13, 2012)

My minecraft dreams will come true!


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## hat (Oct 13, 2012)




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## W1zzard (Oct 13, 2012)

even if those diamonds magically fell into your lap you couldn't sell them. diamond market is controlled by de beers


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## BlackOmega (Oct 13, 2012)

How can they even assume this? 

Regardless, if you brought all of the diamonds back, it would saturate the market and therefore the diamonds would be worth less and less.


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## patrico (Oct 13, 2012)

Delta6326 said:


> Dang if I was superman I would fly there grab a big chunk take it back to Earth and hide it, slowly selling piece by piece...



lol nice can I help please


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## Phusius (Oct 13, 2012)

I have no need for wealth, the forest will soon by my home, the trees of old will sing to me when I discover the magic mushrooms to talk to them.

::begins Faith of the Hymns chant from Final Fantasy X::


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## xBruce88x (Oct 13, 2012)

well now we've found our source of funding for FTL travel.


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## HTC (Oct 13, 2012)

xBruce88x said:


> well now we've found our source of funding for FTL travel.



It seems there's a diamond planet close by: will that do?

EDIT

Miss read your post dude


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## Vrgn86 (Oct 13, 2012)

So, from 40 LIGHT YEARS away we can "see" the internal composition? Yea right , thats like saying 9-11 was terrorists.


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## Easo (Oct 14, 2012)

Vrgn86 said:


> So, from 40 LIGHT YEARS away we can "see" the internal composition? Yea right , thats like saying 9-11 was terrorists.



Man, you disappoint me.


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