The GEMSTONE planet: Researchers reveal 'shimmering' super-Earth 21 light years away that could be covered in sapphires and rubies
Researchers have discovered a unique 'shimmering' planet they say could be a new class of exoplanet.
Officially known as HD219134 b. it is 21 light years away from us in the constellation Cassiopeia, according to Daily Mail.
Astronomers say unlike Earth, it most likely does not have a massive core of iron, but is rich in calcium and aluminium which makes it incredibly rich in gemstones
'Perhaps it shimmers red to blue like rubies and sapphires, because these gemstones are aluminium oxides which are common on the exoplanet,' says Caroline Dorn, astrophysicist at the Institute for Computational Science of the University of Zurich who led the new study.