Discovering the Atmosphere of a Super Earth: 55 Cancri e’s Boiling Temperatures Offer Hopes for Habitability

A study published in the journal Nature has provided strong evidence that a super Earth planet named 55 Cancri e, situated 41 light years away, has an atmosphere. This rocky planet, which is twice as big as Earth and circles its star Copernicus closely, has boiling temperatures reaching up to 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit and is unlikely to support life.

Researchers were able to determine the planet’s temperature and analyze how heat is distributed evenly across its surface by studying observations from the Webb Space Telescope. The planet’s thick atmosphere, composed of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, although the exact amounts are unknown, offers hope for the existence of other rocky planets with thick atmospheres that may be more habitable.

The gases emitted from the planet’s magma oceans could be crucial in maintaining its atmosphere. Investigating this super Earth further may offer insights into the early evolution of Earth and Mars, both of which may have had magma oceans that have since cooled. Renyu Hu, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory involved in the research, describes this discovery as a rare window into understanding the early phases of planet evolution.