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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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