Hubble sees cloudy super-worlds with a chance for more clouds

This is an illustration of the hypothetical appearance of the exoplanet GJ 1214b, which is known as a "super-Earth" because it has a mass slightly more than six times that of Earth. Spectroscopic observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope provide evidence of high clouds blanketing the planet. These clouds hide any information about the composition and behaviour of the world's lower atmosphere and surface. The composition of the clouds is unknown. GJ1214b is located 40 light-years from Earth, in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer).

Links:

• NASA Press release
• Size comparison for exoplanets GJ 436b and GJ 1214b (artist’s illustration)