Exoplanets · Lava super-Earth
55 Cancri e
41 light-years · Light crosses it in 0.080 seconds
- Across
- 23,955 km
- Vs Earth
- 1.88× Earth
- Mass
- 7.99 Earths
Open 55 Cancri e in Cosmic Scale
In the app, 55 Cancri e is part of the Beyond pack.
About
55 Cancri e is a super-Earth so close to its star that its year lasts 18 hours and its day side may be an ocean of magma. The James Webb telescope found signs of a real atmosphere there in 2024 — surprising for a world that hot.
So close to its star that a year lasts 18 hours and its surface may be an ocean of magma.
At a glance
| Distance | 41 light-years |
|---|---|
| Year | 18 hours |
| Day side | About 2,400 °C |
| Mass | 8 Earths |
Did you know
- It was once suggested to be a diamond planet, if its interior were carbon-rich; later work made that less likely.
- Its star is bright enough to see with the naked eye, which is rare for a planet host.
- The atmosphere may be constantly resupplied by gas bubbling out of the magma.