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Hubble Discovers Waterworld Planet

ARTIST'S VIEW OF EXTRASOLAR PLANET GJ1214B

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GJ1214b, shown in this artist's view, is a super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star 40light-years from Earth. New observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescopeshow that it is a waterworld enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere. GJ1214brepresents a new type of planet, like nothing seen in our solar system or any otherplanetary system currently known.

The planet was discovered by the ground-based MEarth Project in 2009.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Aguilar (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

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http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1204/

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Last Updated
Apr 17, 2023
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NASA Hubble Mission Team

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