Super-Earth 40 light years away 'is rich in water with a thick, steamy atmosphere', confirm Japanese

Mail Online ^ | UPDATED: 05:55 EST, 5 September 2013 | Ellie Zolfagharifard

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

GJ 1214b is 2.6 times Earth’s diameter and weighs seven times as much

• It was first discovered as part of the ground-based MEarth Project in 2009
• The observations by the Subaru telescope could help scientists find out more about the planet's birthplace and formation history

  Blue light observations of a super-Earth 40 light years from our planet suggest that it is a world with a thick, steamy water-rich atmosphere.

  Japanese astronomers used the Subaru telescope to observe planetary transits of the super-Earth, which is located at the centre of the Milky Way.

  Astronomers had previously confirmed that this alien world has a thick atmosphere, but were unable to determine whether the atmosphere was primarily hydrogen or a steamy soup of water vapour.

  Their findings confirm that the super-Earth has an atmosphere rich in water rather than hydrogen.

  

  Artist's rendition of a transit of GJ 1214 b in blue light. The blue sphere represents the host star GJ 1214, and the black ball in front of it on the right is GJ 1214 b

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[apillar]

Japanese astronomers used the Subaru telescope to observe planetary transits of the super-Earth, which is located at the centre of the Milky Way.

Huh? They found a planet in a giant black hole 10,000 light years aways? Those must be good telescopes....

[skinkinthegrass]

1

[CMB_polarization]

I wouldn’t use the only starship ticket I had to go to this swamp.

[Catmom]

OMG, it’s the planet in Avatar!

[Tenacious 1]

Japanese astronomers used the Subaru telescope to observe planetary transits of the super-Earth, which is located at the centre of the Milky Way.

Huh? They found a planet in a giant black hole 10,000 light years aways? Those must be good telescopes....

No. No. No. The Subaru terescope is rocated at the centre of the Mirky Way. Geez, man.

[gaijin]

Shall issue, no IRS, no multiculturalism, and no Fed..?

[BigEdLB]

We of the GJ planet anxiously await all you Earthling tourists... As they say, "To Serve Man"

[Tenacious 1]

I wouldn’t use the only starship ticket I had to go to this swamp.

I wonder how the fishing is? It's a little warm and humid and I'm not sure a boat would float in gravity like that. But I bet the fish are big and fight hard.

[null and void]

The Subaru telescope?

Is it only used to observe the Pleiades?

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

More importantly, is it powered by a boxer engine?

[JRios1968]

I wouldn’t use the only starship ticket I had to go to this swamp.

"Trained as a Jedi, you will not be."

[alancarp]

"...rich in water with a thick, steamy atmosphere..."

Sounds like the Clinton White House.

[Old Sarge]

'is rich in water with a thick, steamy atmosphere'

And a chewy nougat center!

[jonno]

...10,000 light years...

Did I miss something? According to the article, the planet is 40 light years away...

[Buckeye McFrog]

Higher magnification reveals Kevin Costner sailing around in some sort of a pirate ship....

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They also get really good mileage...

[dfwgator]

It’s so very lonely, you’re two thousand light years from home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvc4xyHOB7Y

[PGR88]

This planet sounds....DELICIOUS!