images

Gliese 1214 b

by

Ron Miller/Novapix

Reference

a-exo99-30301

Date

2012-06-16

Gliese 1214 b is an extrasolar planet that orbits the star Gliese 1214. The parent star is 13 parsecs (approximately 40 light-years) from the Sun, in the constellation Ophiuchus. The planet was discovered in December 2009. It is classified as a super-Earth because it is larger than Earth but has a mass and radius significantly less than those of the gas giants in the Solar System. After COROT-7b, it is the second such planet to be known and is the first of a new class of planets with small size and relatively low density.