Home Away from Home

on February 7, 2009
Featured in News to Know

ScienceNOW: “Mercury, Schmercury. This Planet is Really Toasty” Astronomers have found yet another “Earth-like” planet (how many does this make, anyway?). Once again, it’s not exactly home away from home.

The planet’s name, CoRoT-Exo-7b, rolls right off your tongue—well, okay, not exactly. Its name comes from CoRoT, the European spacecraft launched in 2006 to seek out exoplanets.

The planet’s likely temperature is far from Earth-like.

Located 425 light-years from earth in the constellation Monoceros, Exo-7b is notable because it is only twice the diameter of Earth. Most exoplanets that have been discovered are far larger, since larger planets are more easily detected.

However, the planet’s likely temperature is far from Earth-like. Consider this: while Mercury (the planet closest to our own sun) has an orbit that lasts 88 days, Exo-7b orbits its star in just 20 hours! The team thus estimates its surface temperature exceeds 1000˚C (1832˚F) (BBC News reports the temperature may be up to 1500˚C [2732˚F]).

The (presumably evolutionary) scientists have a strange idea that would allow water to exist on the planet as well: they suggest that Exo-7b may have formed in cold space far from its star, then slowly pulled into a close orbit by the star’s gravity. If that were the case, water could be trapped on the planet.

Once again, this planet discovery seems, from an objective perspective, very unlike Earth except in size. For evolutionists, however, it’s yet another step closer to what they already faithfully believe: there are planets out there where life has evolved, and it’s only a matter of time before we find them (see the following item).


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