"Super Earth" Circles Nearby Star

A nearby star appears ?to be circled by six planets, including one "Super Eart?h" world that orbits at distances that could allow the existence of oceans, astronomers report.

Astronomers had earlier reported that three planets closely orbit the star, HD 40307, which is about 43 light years away (one light year is about 5.9 trillion miles). Now in the forthcoming Astronomy & Astrophysics journal report led by Mikko Tuomi of the United Kingdom's University of Hertfordshire, the team reports three more planets larger than Earth — but not as big as Jupiter — likely orbit the star.

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