Researchers have discovered an unusually dense exoplanet, more than 2.5 times Earth's size, that could challenge existing ideas about how large rocky worlds form and evolve. Named GJ 523b, this ‘Mega-Earth’ exoplanet is nearly 170 million years old and named like this because of its exceptional size and density.
It is the first exoplanet discovered and cataloged by researchers with the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR), a University of Wisconsin–Madison collaboration focused on questions surrounding the origins of life and planetary systems.
