GJ 1214 b
Super-Earth orbiting GJ 1214 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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GJ 1214 b (sometimes Gliese 1214 b,[6] formally named Enaiposha[2]) is an exoplanet that orbits the star GJ 1214, and was discovered in December 2009. Its parent star is 48 light-years from the Sun, in the constellation Ophiuchus. As of 2017, GJ 1214 b is the most likely known candidate for being an ocean planet.[1][7] For that reason, scientists often call the planet a "waterworld".[8]
Discovery[1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | David Charbonneau, et al. |
Discovery site | Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory |
Discovery date | December 16, 2009 |
Transit (MEarth Project) | |
Designations | |
Enaiposha[2] | |
Orbital characteristics[3] | |
0.01490±0.00026 AU | |
Eccentricity | <0.063 |
1.580404571(42) d[4] | |
Inclination | 88.7°±0.1° |
Semi-amplitude | 14.36±0.53 m/s |
Star | Orkaria |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 2.742+0.050 −0.053 R🜨[3] |
Mass | 8.17±0.43 M🜨[3] |
Mean density | 2.20+0.17 −0.16 g/cm3[3] |
10.65+0.71 −0.67 m/s2[3] (1.09 g) | |
19.31+0.53 −0.54 km/s[3] | |
Albedo | 0.51±0.06 (Bond)[5] |
Temperature | 553±9 K (280 °C; 536 °F, dayside)[5] 437±19 K (164 °C; 327 °F, nightside)[5] |
It is a super-Earth, meaning it is larger than Earth but is significantly smaller (in mass and radius) than the gas giants of the Solar System. After CoRoT-7b, it was the second super-Earth to have both its mass and radius measured[1] and is the first of a new class of planets with small size and relatively low density.[9] GJ 1214 b is also significant because its parent star is relatively near the Sun and because it transits that parent star, which allows the planet's atmosphere to be studied using spectroscopic methods.[1]
In December 2013, NASA reported that clouds may have been detected in the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b.[10][11][12][13]