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Artist’s View of Extrasolar Planet GJ1214b

Artist's View of Extrasolar Planet GJ1214b
GJ1214b, shown in this artist's view, is a super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. New observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show that it is a waterworld enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere. GJ1214b represents a new type of planet, like nothing seen in our solar system or any other planetary system currently known.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    17h 15m 18s.94
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +04° 57' 49".72
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Ophiuchus
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    40 light-years (12.3 parsecs)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The image was created from Hubble data from proposal 12251: Z. Berta, D. Charbonneau, C. Burke, J.-M. Desert, J. Irwin, and P. Nutzman (Harvard University), P. McCullough (STScI), and E. Miller-Ricci and J. Fortney (University of California, Santa Cruz).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFC3
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    Various dates in 2011
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    GJ1214b
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Exoplanet
  • Release Date
    February 21, 2012
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Reveals a New Class of Extrasolar Planet
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and D. Aguilar (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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