
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.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and D. Aguilar (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)About The Object | |
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Object Name | GJ1214b |
Object Description | Exoplanet |
R.A. Position | 17h 15m 18s.94 |
Dec. Position | +04° 57' 49".72 |
Constellation | Ophiuchus |
Distance | 40 light-years (12.3 parsecs) |
About The Data | |
Data Description | The image was created from Hubble data from proposal : 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 | HST>WFC3 |
Exposure Dates | Various dates in 2011 |
About The Object | |
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Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
Distance | The 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. |
Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
About The Data | |
Data Description |
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Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
About The Image | |
Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |