super-earths
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Water Vapour Detected In The Atmosphere Of A Potentially Habitable Super-Earth
For the first time ever, astronomers have detected water vapour in the atmosphere of a rocky exoplanet. Intriguingly, the planet is in the so-called habitable zone of its star, making it one of the most promising places in the galaxy to look for signs of extraterrestrial life.
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Molten Lava Flows On This Super-Earth’s Surface Like Water
Weather can get pretty rough here on Earth, but there’s a rocky exoplanet located about 40 light-years away that features some of the most extreme temperature fluctuations ever seen by astronomers — reaching temperatures so high that lava flows directly on the surface.
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Astronomers: Super-Earths Have Oceans And Continents, Just Like Earth
A pair of Chicago-based astronomers have some good news for you alien-hunters out there. Despite previous assumptions, geophysics tell us that large Earth-like exoplanets (a.k.a. super-Earths) likely have both oceans and exposed continents. That means more Earth-like climates too.