Astronomers find nearby planets to be small, strange, and utterly uninhabitable

Astronomers find nearby planets to be small, strange, and utterly uninhabitable Sarah Collins Wed, 07/15/2026 - 14:53 Discovered in 2025, the four planets orbiting Barnard’s Star are all smaller than Earth and Venus, but larger than Mars – a type of planet not found anywhere in our own Solar System. By analysing the chemical make-up of the star, the researchers, from the University of Cambridge, found that its planets are rich in a rare mineral called periclase, which on Earth is only found hundreds of kilometres below the surface. “Barnard’s Star has an enormous amount of the element magnesiu