Super-Earth Exoplanet's Atmosphere Characterized for 1st Time (Video)

The atmosphere of a "super-Earth" exoplanet, the most common type of world in the galaxy, has been characterized for the first time ever. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope detected hydrogen and helium, but no water vapor, in the air of 55 Cancri e, an alien planet about two times wider and eight times more massive than Earth that lies 40 light-years from our solar system. "This result gives a first insight into the atmosphere of a super-Earth," study co-author Giovanna Tinetti