LONDON (Reuters) - Astronomers have
spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around
a tiny star in our galactic backyard.
The new planet is far denser than
any other known so far and consists largely of carbon. Because it is so
dense, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large
part of this strange world will effectively be diamond.
"The evolutionary history and
amazing density of the planet all suggest it is comprised of carbon --
i.e. a massive diamond orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an
orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun," said Matthew Bailes of
Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.
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