Discovering the planet has a year of 18 hours on Earth

Astronomers have found a planet with a radius twice as large as the Earth, but a year there is only 18 hours on our planet.

The interesting planet is named 55 Cancri E , orbiting a sun-like star called 55 Cancri and located about 40 light-years from Earth.

55 Cancri E, orbiting a star like the Sun is called 55 Cancri

The planet was discovered in 2004. It was identified as twice the size of the Earth. However, a year on this planet only lasts about 18 hours, much shorter than a year on Earth.

However, using NASA's Spitzer space telescope and Canada's MOST space telescope, Belgian scientists (led by Michael Gillon) have discovered that a year on the planet only pulls 18 hours long on Earth.

One year on the planet 55 Cancri E is only 18 hours of living on Earth

In addition, the planet's shell is made up of many volatile compounds such as water, nitrogen and carbon dioxide that make their atmosphere more like the atmosphere of Jupiter or Saturn.

Water on this planet accounts for up to 20% of its mass, while on Earth only 0.023%. However, they are very close to the Sun and receive twice as much light as Earth.

The mother star of 55 Cancri E, called 55 Cancri, is visible to the naked eye in the constellation Cancer. However, it is one of the five least known stars.