The zoom sequence starts with a view of the spectacular central region of the Milky Way. As we close in we see a faint and unremarkable star — GJ 1214. This star is orbited by a super-Earth exoplanet with a mass of about six times that of the Earth. It is the first super-Earth to have had its atmosphere analysed.
In the animation we see the super-Earth exoplanet GJ 1214b orbiting its faint red parent star. This is the first super-Earth exoplanet to have had its atmosphere analysed. The exoplanet, orbiting a small star only 40 light-years away from us, has a mass about six times that of the Earth. GJ 1214b appears to be surrounded by an atmosphere that is either dominated by steam or blanketed by thick clouds or hazes.
Scientific American, Sky&Tel, DiscoverMag and Nature provide more details about our living in an age where we can taste the air of alien planets from trillions of kilometers away!
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