The new models fit with previous studies that showed 55 Cancri e’s parent star was abundant in carbon—much more so than our sun. “If we make the assumption that the star and its surrounding planets are all born from the same primordial disk of material, then it makes sense that the entire planetary system would be carbon rich,” said Madhusudhan, whose study will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Princeton astronomer David Spergel believes the diamond-planet find probably represents the first discovery of a whole new class of planets whose chemistry has never been encountered.
“Unlike our solar system, which is dominated by oxygen and silicates, this planetary system is filled with carbon,” said Spergel, who was not involved in the new study.
“While it’s still unknown exactly what implication this will have on our understanding of evolution of planetary systems,” he said, “there’s no doubt it is an important step towards understanding the full diversity of planets.”
