Search Here

Astronomers have recently discovered a huge planet that is 17 times the mass of Earth. Scientists are calling it "Mega-Earth". 

The planet, dubbed Kepler-10c, has been discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope and was announced Monday at an astronomy meeting in Boston. 

The finding of Kepler-10c contrasts with the theory that beyond about 10 Earth masses, a planet would hold on to so much hydrogen gas that it would become like Jupiter or Saturn. However this planet is rocky, with clearly defined surfaces. 

"Mega-Earth" is also very old, having formed about 11 billon years ago. Up until now, rocky worlds were not believed to have existed that long ago. 

"Nature will do what she wants, regardless of earthling theorists," said Sara Seager, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology planetary scientist who was not involved in the new discovery but said by e-mail that she finds it "incredibly exciting," as quoted by The Washington Post.

Clearing any possibilities of life, researchers said the planet is too close to the parent star and the surface is throughly roasted. The planet orbits a star 560 light-years away in the constellation Draco. 

"It's still rock, but it's rock that's twice as dense as the rock we're used to," said Dimitar Sasselov, a professor of astronomy at Harvard University and a co-author of the paper describing the "Mega-Earth," according to  The Washington Post.

Apparently, planets exist abundantly - every star may have at least one planet. However the habitability of these worlds remains mystery as we are yet to find an exact Earth twin.