Earth Science Emma Verscaj
Current Event #3
05/12/14
‘Diamond’ Planet May Not Be Such A Gem
Planet 55
Cancri e was discovered in 2004. It was the fourth planet discovered, of five,
in the solar system of the star 55 Cancri. Four years ago, the planet’s
composition was thought to be more than 33% pure diamond. This is due to the
fact that astronomers thought the whole solar system had a carbon to oxygen
ratio of greater than one, meaning; these planets were made up more of carbon
than oxygen. Unfortunately, this article shows that there is not as much carbon
as previously thought and more oxygen. Therefore, it is less likely that there
is an overwhelming presence of diamonds.
I find it interesting that
scientists can determine a planet’s ingredients just by observing the planet
and studying its radius, mass and orbital velocity. Also, interesting is the
fact that the planet is so hot and orbits it’s star so rapidly, I am surprised
that it doesn’t get engulfed by 55 Cancri. If I lived on that planet, I would
be 8000 ‘years’ old. I would also have a great tan because it is over five
times as hot as Mercury (over 30 times as hot as Earth). So obviously, 55
Cancri e cannot sustain human life. Though, it has been determined that the
atmospheres on the moons of these planets may be hospitable to people, or at
least, microbial life.
This article shows practical
purposes in the search for planets that we can move to once we deplete the
earth of its resources. Also, if you were thinking that we could harvest these
diamonds, you might want to rethink your position. If we overload the market
with lots and lots of diamonds, they will be worth a lot less. 55 Cancri e is
33 light years away anyhow. If you want diamonds so bad, you can go to the outer
three planets in our own solar system. I recently read an article that said it
rains diamonds on these planets
I think this article could be
written in a more compelling manner. I wish the writers tried to engage their
audience a bit more. They just threw facts and numbers at me. They really did
not capture my attention except with the title. That really caught my eye (much
like a diamond) but then the contents of the article were disappointing,
especially since 55 Cancri e is not as diamond rich anymore.
I thought that you did a good job of presenting Planet 55 Cancri and I like how you got straight to the point and clearly explained what the article talked about. You presented the topic clearly and efficiently. I also really liked that you added in a paragraph to share your opinions on various parts of the article. I agree that it is really interesting how scientists are able to determine what planets are made of as easily as they can today. I thought it was great that you found a way to present information in such a fun way. For example how you said “If I lived on that planet, I would be 8000 years old.” I think you found a way to keep the reader interested, while getting all your information out. I had no idea that Planet 55 Cancri e even existed and it was great to learn about it considering that my current event is based on a new “planet,” discovery. I also found it interesting that before we thought the planet was filled with carbon but after recent studies we have determined that it is really composed of more oxygen. I am wondering what had scientists convinced before that Cancri had lots of carbon and how they found out it has more oxygen. In your critique you said the article was not written in a very compelling matter, and I enjoyed how you made sure that your review was written in a compelling matter. The only suggestion I would have for you on how to improve your review is maybe for you to explain how this affects us. Why the fact that this planet has more oxygen than we thought rather carbon is so important. Also I would have liked to know more about how scientists made this discovery. Otherwise, I think your review was written in a very fun and interesting way!
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