naure.com
SpaceSurprise 5/5Difficulty 4/5Reviewed on September 17, 2026

There is a planet covered in graphite and diamond.

Why it is true

The exoplanet 55 Cancri e is extremely hot and carbon-rich, which led scientists to conclude that a large part of its mass is composed of diamonds rather than rock or water.

Source: Exoplanets

Would you rather be asked first?

This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.

Test yourself →10-question challenge

Related facts

More in Space

See all →