![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Because the planet is brighter relative to its star when viewed in infrared light, Spitzer was able to measure the slight drop in total brightness that occurred as the planet disappeared from view. Spitzer was able to see the light of the planet by watching it slip behind its star in what is called an occultation. The planet is proposed to have a rocky core surrounded by a layer of water in a "supercritical" state, where it is both liquid and gas, and then the whole planet is thought to be topped by a blanket of steam. It orbits so closely - about 25 times closer than Mercury is to our sun - that it is tidally locked with one face forever blisters under the heat of its sun. It's a toasty world that rushes around its star every 18 hours. Seen here in this artist's concept, the planet is called 55 Cancri e. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth's direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision. These planets' relatively small sizes make them very hard to see. There are about 70 known to circle stars beyond our sun, and NASA's Kepler mission has detected hundreds of candidates. They are more massive than Earth yet lighter than gas giants like Neptune, and they can be made of gas, rock or a combination of both. Super Earths are exotic planets unlike any in our solar system. First-of-Its-Kind Glimpse at a Super Earth ![]()
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