Strange Exoplanets

Have you ever wondered what’s outside of our own solar system? There’s got to be other planets out there, right? The short answer is yes! The long answer is- well- keep reading to find out!

There are thousands of other planets out there; some similar to our Earth, while others don’t even seem real! For example, only a few light years away, about 40 to be exact, there is a world known as “55 Cancri e.” Aside from the weird name, something that sets this planet apart is that a third of its mass is made of solid diamond! Seriously! The reason behind this phenomenon is that 55 Cancri e is mainly made of an element called carbon. When carbon is put under a lot of pressure, it becomes a familiar sparkly rock: diamond!

As if things weren’t already crazy enough, have you heard about the place where it’s always raining glass sideways? On planet “HD 189773b,” the atmosphere is full of particles of silicon, another kind of element. Glass, like the kind you find in windows, is actually made of silicon when it’s heated up a lot. The climate on HD 189773b is extremely hot, and to make things even more exciting, winds up to 4000 miles per hour are constantly swirling around the planet. Because of these two things, if you were to visit this place, you would probably end up trapped in a glass tornado. Count me out!

Of course, these aren’t the only unbelievable planets out there. The list is endless, and more are being discovered every single day! The field of astronomy is always expanding, so there’s always something new to learn!

55 Cancri e (left) HD 189773b (right)