Via Dan Drezner, who kiddingly notes that the timing is convenient for James Cameron, scientists have discovered a "super-Earth" planet, 40 light years away, that is water-rich.
Here's CNN with the details:
The planet, named GJ 1214b, is 2.7 times as large as Earth and orbits a star much smaller and less luminous than our sun. That's significant, Charbonneau said, because for many years, astronomers assumed thatplanets only would be found orbiting stars that are similar in size to the sun.
Because of that assumption, researchers didn't spend much time looking for planets circling small stars, he said. The discovery of this "watery world" helps debunk the notion that Earth-like planets could form only in conditions similar to those in our solar system.
It's atmosphere is probably too thick to support life like that on Earth, but it's still a fascinating discovery.
Also available on Next America.
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