Astronomers using data from NASA’s Kepler mission have identified a new type of exoplanet called ‘hot super-Earths.’ In this artist’s conception a hot terrestrial exoplanet circles its host star. Image credit: Dana Berry. Extrasolar planets with gaseous atmospheres that lie very close to their parent stars are bombarded by a torrent of high-energy radiation, according to the team led by Dr. Mia Lundkvist of Aarhus University, Denmark. “Due...
