Kepler 78b: Newly discovered planet

November 2, 2013

Astronomers have discovered a new planet called Kepler 78b which has a similar mass and density to that of Earth. The planet revolves around a star 400 light years away. It is composed mostly of rock and iron, very similar to our own planet. It is located very close to its host star which is 1/100^th of the distance between the Earth and the Sun. However, due to its high temperature ranging from 2000 C to 2800 C it is not possible for the planet to support any form of life.
The planet belongs to a new class of ultrashort period planets which complete one revolution of their host star in less than 12 hours.

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