Surviving core of ill-fated Jupiter-like planet spotted near distant star

Artist's impression showing a Neptune-sized planet orbiting a star located 730 light years from our solar system. University of Warwick/Mark Garlick/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A rocky planet 39 times as massive as Earth has been spotted orbiting a distant star at breakneck speed, with astronomers concluding it may be the surviving core of a planet once perhaps larger than Jupiter that was stripped of its gaseous atmosphere.

Researchers said on Wednesday it is the largest rocky planet ever discovered and would be the first planetary core ever found, offering a unique opportunity to better understand the interiors of gas giants like Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.