Planet 19
Planet 19 is a recently discovered planet located 31.2 million light-years away from Earth in the Sombrero Galaxy. The planet was discovered in 2014 by NASA’s Excelsior probe and is the 19th planet away from its sun, both of which are part of an unnamed solar system. It is a terrestrial planet with a composition of mainly carbon, oxygen, and silicon, and contains trace amounts of other rare metals and minerals in its molten liquid core. Planet 19’s diameter is about 6 times that of Earth and has large rings that circle it, composed of meteoroids of many shapes and sizes, as well as solid carbon in the form of graphite and diamonds.
Formation
Planet 19 was formed by an extremely rare process known as Collateral Reintegration. This process occurs when two massive solid objects of the exact same volume and shape collide with each other at speeds exceeding two million kilometers per hour, causing them to completely disintegrate. Once complete, external forces of gravity and extreme heat from the rotation of the sun pulled together and fused the components of each object, creating a large planet. The planet lacks an atmosphere as well as the mixture of gasses to sustain one, leaving the planet susceptible to impact damage from asteroids.
Planet 19’s rings were slowly formed over millions of years due to impacts from asteroids and meteors, causing particles from the planet to eject into the space around it. The planets gravitational force from its rotation then pulled these particles into orbit around it in a perfectly flat plane. Because of the planets large composition of carbon, diamonds are abundant throughout the plants crust and in its rings, along with ice and graphite.
Further Exploration
NASA has made all the information they’ve collected on Planet 19 public, which has led to pressure from mining and jewelry companies to find a way to collect the rare jewels naturally located on the planet. On July 7th, 2017, NASA administrators led a press conference stating that they have no intention of bringing back any diamond or other carbon samples to Earth, as “the process would take decades of research and development, as well as millions of dollars, to create tools that are durable enough to survive multiple trips, and would distract from our primary goal of exploration”. The Excelsior probe is still located in the Sombrero Galaxy today, and is continuously sending readings to NASA.