Earth sized exoplanet found

 

Image courtesy of Patricia Klein. 

Joel Kontinen

 Researchers have found an exoplanet that circles a nearby red dwarf star. They used radial velocity observations to measure the mass. it was a sub-Earth–sized planet with a density almost equivalent to pure iron.  This suggests that it had lost its outer mantle.

It seems that our planet and planet system is an oddball.  Planets orbiting a red dwarf starcannot be habitable.

Source:

 Smith Keith T, 2921, Exoplanets A nearby iron-rich sub-Earth planet. Science,  2 December.