Tag Archives: planets

A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday. The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The exact amounts …

Another special cosmic event is to occur this year, and it could be a “once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity,” according to NASA. It’s a nova explosion located in a star system 3,000 light years away from Earth and astronomers predict it will be visible to the “unaided eye” sometime in 2024. “Unfortunately, we don’t know the timing of this as well as …