First rocky planet found outside solar system

(CNN): Scientists have discovered the first confirmed Earthlike planet outside our solar system, they announced Wednesday. "This is the first confirmed rocky planet in another system," astronomer Artie Hatzes told CNN, contrasting the solid planet with gaseous ones like Jupiter and Saturn. But "Earthlike" is a relative term. The planet’s composition may be similar to that of Earth, but its environment is more like a vision of hell, the project’s lead astronomer said. It is so close to the star it orbits that the place may well look like Dante’s Inferno, with a probable temperature on its ‘day face’ above 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit.

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