Scientists stunned after James Webb Space Telescope spots 'Super-Earth' with atmosphere covered in diamonds

The consistent discoveries in Space never fail to astound us. Whether it's the detection of an unusual object in the Milky Way or the idea of cosmic jewelry in space, each discovery leaves us starstruck. However, researchers have now come across something that is more mind-boggling than any previous discovery — a planet made largely of diamond, per Space. The detailed findings of the research have been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Dubbed “Super Earth” or “55 Cancri e,” the exoplanet was first discovered in 2004 and has since become a matter of intrigue. The “Super Earth” is twice the diameter of our planet Earth and is supposed to have an astonishing surface of molten magma. Scientists used information such as the size, mass and orbital velocity of the planet, as well as the composition of its parent star, to try and determine what the planet is most likely made of, per Universe Today. 

The Super-Earth is made up of several elements like iron, silicon carbide, and potentially silicates, but it mainly consists of carbon. This carbon is stored in the form of diamonds and graphite on the planet. A third of the entire humongous planet, completely made up of diamonds has heads turning. Nikku Madhusudhan of Yale University, the lead researcher of the study, shared that the news is unbelievable for professionals let alone others.“This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth. The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite,” he remarked in a statement. 

Researchers believed that the planet would be similar to Earth but were surprised to learn otherwise. A popular thought was that the planet contained “supercritical fluids” which they thought to be water but their findings proved the opposite. There is comparatively less water on the Super Earth than on our planet. Co-author and geophysicist Kanani Lee added that the Earth has a contrary characteristic to the 55 Cancri e. “By contrast, Earth’s interior is rich in oxygen, but extremely poor in carbon — less than a part in a thousand by mass," Lee mentioned. 

This excites researchers in terms of further study but also leaves the average person astonished and jaw-dropped. To picture an entire planet with diamonds is impossible but Madhusudhan mentioned that in a way- that’s just what we’d get to see. “On this planet, there would basically be a thin layer below the surface which will have both graphite and diamond, But, below that there will be a thick layer (a third of the radius) with mostly diamond. For a large part, the diamond will be like the diamond on Earth, except really, really pure,” he revealed. He also added that the diamond would also be found in liquid forms. As researchers continue their study on the 55 Cancri e, there is hope to get a glimpse of this spectacular scenario.