superearth

  • Rings in the Early Solar System Kept our Planet From Becoming a Super-Earth
    Rings in the Early Solar System Kept our Planet From Becoming a Super-Earth0

    To date, a total of 4,884 extrasolar planets have been confirmed in 3,659 systems, with another 8,414 additional candidates awaiting confirmation. In the course of studying these new worlds, astronomers have noted something very interesting about the “rocky” planets. Since Earth is rocky and the only known planet where life can exist, astronomers are naturally curious about this particular type of planet. Interestingly, most of the rocky planets discovered so far have been many times the size and mass of Earth.