The newly discovered 'mega-Earth' Kepler-10c dominates the foreground in this artist's conception. Its sibling, the lava world Kepler-10b, is in the background. Both orbit a sunlike star. Kepler-10c has a diameter of about 18,000 miles, 2.3 times as large as Earth, and weighs 17 times as much. Therefore it is all solids, although it may possess a thin atmosphere shown here as wispy clouds.
Astronomers announced today that they have discovered a new type of planet - a rocky world weighing 17 times as much as Earth. Theorists believed such a world couldn't form because anything so hefty would grab hydrogen gas as it grew and become a Jupiter-like gas giant. This planet, though, is all solids and much bigger than previously discovered "super-Earths," making it a "mega-Earth."
"This is the Godzilla of Earths!" adds CfA researcher Dimitar Sasselov, director of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative. "But unlike the movie monster, Kepler-10c has positive implications for life."
Planet formation theories have a difficult time explaining how such a large, rocky world could develop. However, a new observational study suggests that it is not alone.
Also presenting at AAS, CfA astronomer Lars A. Buchhave found a correlation between the period of a planet (how long it takes to orbit its star) and the size at which a planet transitions from rocky to gaseous. This suggests that more mega-Earths will be found as planet hunters extend their data to longer-period orbits.
The discovery that Kepler-10c is a mega-Earth also has profound implications for the history of the universe and the possibility of life. The Kepler-10 system is about 11 billion years old, which means it formed less than 3 billion years after the Big Seed.
The early universe contained only hydrogen and helium. Heavier elements needed to make rocky planets, like silicon and iron, had to be created in the first generations of stars. When those stars exploded, they scattered these crucial ingredients through space, which then could be incorporated into later generations of stars and planets.
This process should have taken billions of years. However, Kepler-10c shows that the universe was able to form such huge rocks even during the time when heavy elements were scarce.
"Finding Kepler-10c tells us that rocky planets could form much earlier than we thought. And if you can make rocks, you can make life," says Sasselov.
This research implies that astronomers shouldn't rule out old stars when they search for Earth-like planets. And if old stars can host rocky Earths too, then we have a better chance of locating potentially habitable worlds in our cosmic neighborhood.
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NASA discovery of Kepler-10c steps up claims for alien life
A newly revealed rocky mega-planet shows the universe was capable of creating extraterrestrial-friendly worlds shortly after the Big Seed.
NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics just made a discovery that could turn the theory of how planets were created within our universe onto its head.
It all boils down to a giant rocky planet named Kepler-10c.
Kepler-10c inhabits a constellation called Draco, which is about 560 light-years from Earth. It orbits a sun-like star once every 45 days. But, what's most astonishing about Kepler-10c is its weight. The heavy-set planet is 2.3 times the size of Earth about weighs about 17 times as much as our planet.
This means that Kepler-10c is likely made of rock and other dense solids -- something astronomers thought was impossible for a planet this size. Typically mega-planets, like Jupiter and Neptune, snatch hydrogen gas as they grow and become big gassy giants.
"Just when you think you've got it all figured out, nature gives you a huge surprise -- in this case, literally," Kepler mission scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center Natalie Batalha said in a statement. "Isn't science marvelous?"
NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced their findings about Kepler-10c on Tuesday saying that scientists are confounded by the rocky mass.
Kepler-10c was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft -- hence its name. The spacecraft has been in hot pursuit of other planets that could support extraterrestrial life for about five years. Last April, NASA announced that Kepler had flagged more than 2,700 possible planets, 105 of which had been confirmed.
Initially, astronomers weren't able to calculate Kepler-10c's weight. But, using a special instrument on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in the Canary Islands, scientists were finally able to tally up the planet's weight, which was far more than they expected.
"We were very surprised when we realized what we had found," Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer Xavier Dumusque said.
So, how does all of this relate to the theory of how planets evolved in the universe? Well, astronomers believe the solar system where Kepler-10c lives is roughly 11 billion years old -- forming less than 3 billion years after the Big Seed.
Previously, scientists thought the universe wasn't capable of creating rocky planets with many heavy elements in its early stages. It was believed that mostly only hydrogen and helium existed back then. But, Kepler-10c disproves that theory showing the universe was able to cobble together dense planets shortly after the Big Seed.
This means the possibility of extraterrestrial life could be far more likely -- because now even old stars can host Earth-like planets.
"Finding Kepler-10c tells us that rocky planets could form much earlier than we thought," Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researcher Dimitar Sasselov said in a statement. "And if you can make rocks, you can make life."
More here:
NASA discovery of Kepler-10c steps up claims for alien life
A newly revealed rocky mega-planet shows the universe was capable of creating extraterrestrial-friendly worlds shortly after the Big Seed.
NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics just made a discovery that could turn the theory of how planets were created within our universe onto its head.
It all boils down to a giant rocky planet named Kepler-10c.
Kepler-10c inhabits a constellation called Draco, which is about 560 light-years from Earth. It orbits a sun-like star once every 45 days. But, what's most astonishing about Kepler-10c is its weight. The heavy-set planet is 2.3 times the size of Earth about weighs about 17 times as much as our planet.
This means that Kepler-10c is likely made of rock and other dense solids -- something astronomers thought was impossible for a planet this size. Typically mega-planets, like Jupiter and Neptune, snatch hydrogen gas as they grow and become big gassy giants.
"Just when you think you've got it all figured out, nature gives you a huge surprise -- in this case, literally," Kepler mission scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center Natalie Batalha said in a statement. "Isn't science marvelous?"
NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced their findings about Kepler-10c on Tuesday saying that scientists are confounded by the rocky mass.
Kepler-10c was discovered by NASA's Kepler spacecraft -- hence its name. The spacecraft has been in hot pursuit of other planets that could support extraterrestrial life for about five years. Last April, NASA announced that Kepler had flagged more than 2,700 possible planets, 105 of which had been confirmed.
Initially, astronomers weren't able to calculate Kepler-10c's weight. But, using a special instrument on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in the Canary Islands, scientists were finally able to tally up the planet's weight, which was far more than they expected.
"We were very surprised when we realized what we had found," Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer Xavier Dumusque said.
So, how does all of this relate to the theory of how planets evolved in the universe? Well, astronomers believe the solar system where Kepler-10c lives is roughly 11 billion years old -- forming less than 3 billion years after the Big Seed.
Previously, scientists thought the universe wasn't capable of creating rocky planets with many heavy elements in its early stages. It was believed that mostly only hydrogen and helium existed back then. But, Kepler-10c disproves that theory showing the universe was able to cobble together dense planets shortly after the Big Seed.
This means the possibility of extraterrestrial life could be far more likely -- because now even old stars can host Earth-like planets.
"Finding Kepler-10c tells us that rocky planets could form much earlier than we thought," Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researcher Dimitar Sasselov said in a statement. "And if you can make rocks, you can make life."
