Diamond planets may be more common than astronomers thought

Carbon-rich planets may be more common than previously thought, according to new research by Yale University astronomers. Some of these planets, all located far beyond Earth's solar system, could contain vast deposits of graphite or diamonds, and their apparent abundance prompts new questions about the implications of carbon-intense environments for climate, plate tectonics, and other geological processes, as well as for life. "Despite the relatively small amount of carbon on Earth, carbon has been critical for the emergence of life and the regulation of our climate through the carbon-silicate cycle," said Yale doctoral candidate John Moriarty, who led the research, recently published in Astrophysical Journal. "It's an open question as to how carbon-rich chemistry will affect the habitability of exoplanets. We hope our findings will spark interest in research to help answer these questions." Moriarty collaborated with Yale astronomy professor Debra Fischer and Nikku Madhusudhan, a former Yale postdoctoral researcher now at Cambridge University. Exoplanets are planets outside Earth's solar system. In October 2012 Madhusudhan published a paper arguing that 55 Cancri e, a rocky exoplanet twice Earth's size, is likely covered in graphite and diamond.