Imagine a world so close to its star, the planet itself is melting! The rocks are becoming molten lava. Solids are evaporating. This is one of the hottest planets in the galaxy!
A terrestrial planet 41 light-years away from Earth, discovered at McDonald Observatory in Austin, Texas, the planet 55 Cancri e (nicknamed Janseen) is a literal lava world with temperatures reaching 4,400 degrees Fahrenheit (which is hotter than the surface of some stars) due to its extreme closeness to its star, Coppernicus. In fact, this planet is so hot that it is theorized that the planet’s core melted with the surface! The days last 0.7 Earth days on 55 Cancri e because of the proximity to its star. The sky of 55 Cancri e strangely sparkles. This is because the silicate on the surface evaporates into the atmosphere, creating sparkling clouds made of silicate oxide.
Earlier, you might have seen a previous article on Starbade titled Wasp-12b. This planet is similar to 55 Cancri e because of the heat. But they are actually pretty different. Wasp-12b is a gas giant and is egg-shaped because the planet is so close to its star, the host star’s gravity is tearing the planet apart. 55 Cancri e is a round rocky planet covered in an ocean of lava. Why is Wasp-12b in the shape of an egg, but 55 Cancri e isn’t? This is because of the size and tidal forces of Wasp-12b’s star.
Whenever you think of a lava world or a molten landscape, think of 55 Cancri e, the hottest terrestrial planet discovered.
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