Planet for heavy metal fans? A Earth-sized globe made entirely of iron has been discovered.
This is one of the strangest planets we’ve learned about in recent years. It orbits remarkably close to its star and is ultra-dense. Scientists suspect it is composed entirely of iron.
In recent years, we’ve become accustomed to the idea that there are many exoplanets in space. We’ve also learned that they can vary significantly from the planets in our Solar System. In our system, there are rocky inner planets (with Earth being one of them) close to the star, and farther out, there are gas and ice giants.
However, Earth’s neighbors in space are relatively unvaried. If you were to venture beyond the Solar System, you would encounter some of the strangest planets imaginable. This year, we wrote about the discovery of planets, one of which was denser than steel and another that was heavier than lead. We also wrote about a planet that reflects light like a mirror and one that is as fluffy as marshmallow.
Now, another unique globe has joined the ranks of cosmic oddities. It’s essentially a massive ball of pure iron. It’s called Gliese 367 b, or Tahay.
Exoplanet named after a flower
The second word is the local name for Calydorea xiphioides, a flower endemic to Chile. It has…
