New Planet Found: Molten "Mars" Is "Right Around the Corner" [1]
Dave Mosher
for National Geographic News [2]
Published July 19, 2012
Discovery takes scientists by surprise.
Magma may cover UCF-1.01, which orbits scorchingly close to its star, as shown in an artist's concept.
Illustration courtesy R. Hurt, SSC/Caltech/NASA
In a surprise find, astronomers have discovered a planet [3] possibly covered with oceans of magma "right around the corner."
Even more exciting to scientists is its size: about the same as Mars [4]'s, which would make the new world the closest known planet smaller than Earth [5].
Researchers using NASA [6]'s Spitzer Space Telescope [7] essentially stumbled upon the new planet while studying a hot, Neptune [8]-size planet called GJ 436b.
To read the rest of this story and see the video, visit National Geographic [9].
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- Freedom Project [10]