{"id":793006,"date":"2025-01-27T08:42:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T13:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=793006"},"modified":"2025-01-27T08:42:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T13:42:03","slug":"a-super-venus-exoplanet-with-a-watery-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=793006","title":{"rendered":"A super-Venus exoplanet (with a watery name)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_500019\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-500019\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-500019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View larger. | Artist\u2019s concept of the exoplanet \u2013 a world orbiting a distant star \u2013 called GJ 1214 b. Previously thought to be a watery \u201csuper-Earth,\u201d or a mini-Neptune with a hydrogen atmosphere, astronomers now say this world is more like a super-Venus, with an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide. Image via NAOJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>GJ 1214 b is a distant planet, about 48 light-years from Earth.<\/strong> Astronomers thought it was probably a watery and rocky world larger than Earth, or a smaller version of our solar system\u2019s ice giant Neptune. They gave it a name meaning \u201clarge body of water.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>But now it seems this world might be an oversized Venus,<\/strong> researchers in Japan and the U.S. said this month. New results from NASA\u2019s Webb Space Telescope suggest its atmosphere is like that of Venus, mostly carbon dioxide.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If so, it\u2019s a new class of planet,<\/strong> unlike any seen before.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In 2009, when astronomers discovered the exoplanet known as GJ 1214 b, they thought it was likely either a super-Earth water world or a mini-Neptune. Those are two of the different kinds of exoplanets discovered so far in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. But a blanket of haze in the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b made classification difficult. And now, it appears, they were wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Now, a new study suggests, GJ 1214 b is entirely new to astronomers\u2019 understanding of the worlds inhabiting our Milky Way. Using NASA\u2019s Webb space telescope, researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and the University of Arizona in the U.S., said in two press releases (January 15, 2025, and January 24) that the planet is probably more like an oversized Venus, with a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide. So it\u2019s a <em>super-Venus<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>2025 EarthSky lunar calendar is available now. A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar with phases of the moon for every night of the year. Get yours today!<\/p>\n<p>The research teams published their peer-reviewed findings in two new papers in <em>The Astrophysical Journal Letters<\/em>, on October 16, 2024 and January 14, 2025.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New Release: Super-Earth vs. Sub-Neptune? The Winner is Super-Venus!<br \/>New observational data from the James Webb Space Telescope and simulation models have confirmed a new type of planet unlike anything found in the Solar System. <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QArSzwcUcC\">pic.twitter.com\/QArSzwcUcC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NAOJ (@prcnaoj_en) <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/prcnaoj_en\/status\/1879453479053181075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>GJ 1214 b, aka Enaiposha<\/h3>\n<p>Astronomers first found GJ 1214 b in 2009, orbiting a star 48 light-years away in the direction to our constellation Ophiuchus. Scientists thought it was <em>most<\/em> likely a super-Earth \u2013 larger and more massive than Earth \u2013 with a water-rich atmosphere and possible global ocean. It\u2019s an interesting place, which is why, in 2023, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) included this world in a public <em>exoplanet-naming process<\/em>. That process resulted in the official name Enaiposha for GJ 1214 b. The name means \u201clarge body of water\u201d in the Maasai language. <\/p>\n<p>The IAU also acknowledged that GJ 1214 b <em>might<\/em> instead be a mini-Neptune, an ice giant with a deep hydrogen atmosphere. Or it might be a rocky planet like Earth, but with a hydrogen atmosphere. They weren\u2019t sure!<\/p>\n<p>What did we know for sure as recently as 2023? We knew that the planet orbits its star about 70 times closer than Earth orbits our sun. But, beyond that, GJ 1214 b or Enaiposha was mysterious. As Matthew Murphy, a graduate student at the University of Arizona and co-author of both papers said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It has been the prevailing puzzle in the field for a decade.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Super-Venus exoplanet<\/h3>\n<p>The new work that GJ 1214 b or Enaiposha has an atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide (CO2). So it\u2019s something not seen before, a super-sized Venus. Lead author of the University of Arizona paper, Everett Schlawin, called it:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u2026 a new class of planet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Are the researchers now certain? No. They caution their findings are still tentative. Kazumasa Ohno at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan explained:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The detected CO2 signal from the first study is tiny, and so it required careful statistical analysis to ensure that it is real. At the same time, we needed the physical and chemical insights to extract the true nature of GJ 1214 b\u2019s atmosphere from Schlawin\u2019s study.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Schlawin added:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s equivalent to Leo Tolstoy\u2019s \u2018War and Peace.\u2019 If I gave you two copies and changed one sentence in one of the books, could you find that sentence?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Ohno\u2019s team then used theoretical models to evaluate the most likely composition of the atmosphere. The Venus model \u2013 a carbon dioxide atmosphere \u2013 came out on top, bolstering the other findings.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_462917\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-462917\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/01\/K2-18b-exoplanet-artist-concept-September-11-2023.jpg\" alt=\"Blue planet with thin wispy clouds and another tiny, distant planet and distant bright red sun.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-462917\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/01\/K2-18b-exoplanet-artist-concept-September-11-2023.jpg 800w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/01\/K2-18b-exoplanet-artist-concept-September-11-2023-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/01\/K2-18b-exoplanet-artist-concept-September-11-2023-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-462917\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist\u2019s concept of exoplanet K2-18 b, which might have a global ocean of water beneath its deep atmosphere. Scientists thought that GJ 1214 b might be similar, but now say it\u2019s probably more like a larger version of Venus. Image via NASA\/ CSA\/ ESA\/ J. Olmsted (STScI); Science: N. Madhusudhan (Cambridge University).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>More studies needed<\/h3>\n<p>So the researchers will need further study to conform the super-Venus scenario. But the results so far suggest even more diversity among exoplanets than we knew. Indeed, some, or many, are unlike any planets in our own solar system. Super-Venuses would be a fascinating addition to the exoplanet family. And this might be our first glimpse of one. Murphy said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Although we\u2019re not setting foot on another planet and walking around, we\u2019re really pioneers. We\u2019re the first humans to see what\u2019s happening on this other planet. It\u2019s amazing what you can do when you have a team from all over the globe.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bottom line: Astronomers thought that exoplanet GJ 1214 b was either a watery super-Earth or a mini-Neptune. But a new study says it is more like a super-Venus exoplanet.<\/p>\n<p>Source: Possible Carbon Dioxide above the Thick Aerosols of GJ 1214 b<\/p>\n<p>Source: A Possible Metal-dominated Atmosphere below the Thick Aerosols of GJ 1214 b Suggested by Its JWST Panchromatic Transmission Spectrum<\/p>\n<p>Via National Astronomical Observatory of Japan<\/p>\n<p>Via The University of Arizona<\/p>\n<p>Read more: Super-Earth may have water as steam or high clouds<\/p>\n<p>Read more: Super-Earth, mini-Neptune or sub-Neptune?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cp-load-after-post\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n<h4>Paul Scott Anderson<\/h4>\n<p>                    View Articles\n                  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-tags\">\n<h6 data-udy-fe=\"text_7c58270d\">About the Author:<\/h6>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/super-venus-exoplanet-gj-1214-b-carbon-dioxide-webb-space-telescope\/?rand=772280\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>View larger. | Artist\u2019s concept of the exoplanet \u2013 a world orbiting a distant star \u2013 called GJ 1214 b. Previously thought to be a watery \u201csuper-Earth,\u201d or a mini-Neptune&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":793007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-793006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-sky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=793006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/793007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=793006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=793006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=793006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}