A Planet Made of Diamonds

The Takeaway

A planet made out of diamonds? Sounds like the plot of a weird science fiction film that would star some of the “real housewives,” or the Kardashians. But this is no fantasy.
A team of scientists from the United States and France have found that a massive planet, previously thought to be composed of oxygen and water, is instead largely composed of diamonds.
Kanani Lee is an assistant professor of geophysics at Yale. She helped author a study about the planet titled, “A Possible Carbon Rich Interior in Super Earth 55 Cancri e.” David Friedlander is a diamond dealer and owner of Diamonds by Lauren.  

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.