Exoplanet UCF-1.01: A Molten World 33 Light-Years Away

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Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found a tiny, rocky exoplanet called UCF-1.01, which is located 33 light-years away from Earth. The planet's diameter is about 2/3 of Earth's, and it orbits the red dwarf star GJ 436 once every 1.4 Earth days. UCF-1.01's orbit is so fast because it's only about seven times the distance of the moon from Earth away from its star -- so the star's radiation probably melts one side of it into molten lava. Video: NASA/JPL-Caltech Source: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-211 Distributed in accordance with NASA/JPL-Caltech's image use policy: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/imagepolicy/ Music: "Day Bird" by Broke for Free on "Directionless EP" Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Directionless_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Directionless_EP_-_03_Day_Bird Distributed under CC BY 3.0: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/