The "super-Jupiter" Kappa Andromedae b, shown here in an artist's rendering, circles its star at nearly twice the distance that Neptune orbits the sun. (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger)
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NASA discovers 'super-Jupiter'
Updated: Tuesday, 20 Nov 2012, 8:32 AM EST
Published : Tuesday, 20 Nov 2012, 8:32 AM EST
(CNN) - It's a massive discovery that's out of this world.
NASA scientists say they've found what could be a huge planet outside of our solar system. They're calling it a "super-Jupiter."
They say it orbits a star 170 light years away, and is about 13 times the size of Jupiter.
NASA says there's also the possibility the "super-Jupiter" could actually be a brown dwarf star.
Brown dwarf stars are able to generate energy by fusion, while massive planets are only able to slowly radiate the heat leftover from their own formation.
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