Researchers have discovered a planet twice the size of earth made up partly of diamond. The planet, named ‘55 Canceri e,’ orbits a star in the constellation of Cancer and was found by a French-American research team, Reuters reports

Researchers have discovered a planet twice the size of earth made up partly of diamond. The planet, named ‘55 Canceri e,’ orbits a star in the constellation of Cancer and was found by a French-American research team, Reuters reports.

While the planet was first discovered earlier this year it was assumed Canceri’s chemical make-up was similar to the Earth’s.

But in a statement ahead of releasing their findings, researchers said the planet appeared to have no water and a third of its mass could be composed of diamond.

“The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite,” the statement said.

More detailed analysis has found the rocky planet is vastly different from our own, with temperatures on its surface reaching more than 1648 degrees Celsius.

The planet's mass is also eight times larger than earth’s and its radius is twice the size.

Diamond planets have been spotted by researchers previously but scientists in the French-American team said Canceri was the first to be studied in such detail.