We know of more than 300 planets outside our solar system, but the most recently discovered of these 'exoplanets' is making headlines across the world. So what's getting atronomers so excited? Well, the catchily named COROT-Exo-7b is the most Earth-like exoplanet to be spotted yet. Unlike all the others, which are large and gassy, COROT-Exo-7b is small and rocky, just like Earth.Astronomers detected COROT-Exo-7b as it passed in front of its star (just like the picture above of Mercury orbiting in front of the Sun).
So could COROT-Exo-7b harbour alien life? With a larva-covered surface of between 1,000 and 1,500 degrees Celcius, we can probably rule that out.
Image: Hinode JAXA/NASA/PPARC
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Do you know why the planet is larva covered? Is it because it is so close to its sun or is it a young planet which hasn't cooled yet?
The extreme temperature is due to the planet's proximity to its sun. In fact Corot-Exo-7b is so close that it orbits its sun in only 20 hours (compare this to our 365 days).
As for the lava, scientists don't know for sure it's there, but tehy do know that rock turns to liquid at the kind of temperatures found on Corot-Exo-7b. In short: not a nice place for a holiday.
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