Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size planet that is showered with so much radiation, its atmosphere eroded away long ago, leaving it bare. Life as we know it can't exist on this blistering world, but astronomers are interested in it for another reason: For the first time, they may be able to study the geology of a planet outside our solar system.
The newfound exoplanet, named SPECULOOS-3 b, is a rocky planet roughly 55 light-years from Earth. It zips around its host star every 17 hours, but days and nights on the planet are endless. Astronomers suspect the planet is tidally locked to its star, like the moon is to Earth. A single dayside always faces the star, while the nightside is locked in eternal darkness.
