Astronomical evidence
GJ 1214 b is a sub-Neptune whose saved catalog radius is 2.733 Earth radii (+0.033/−0.031). It circles its red-dwarf host in roughly 1.58 days. Its measured size and mass place it well beyond an Earth analogue; they do not specify a familiar solid surface beneath the atmosphere. Webb followed the system through an orbit to measure changing infrared emission. A phase curve samples the different hemispheres presented to the telescope. Kempton and colleagues interpreted the result using an atmosphere enriched in heavier elements, beneath a highly reflective layer of aerosols. Later transmission observations reported possible carbon dioxide above those aerosols. Thick haze complicates atmospheric retrieval: different compositions and vertical structures can suppress or reshape spectral features. The proposed chemical interpretation remains something to test, rather than a photographed cloud composition.
The illustrated viewpoint
Suspended double-bell organism in a still, inward-folded meditative pose. An invented protected orbital microgravity habitat above a hazy sub-Neptune. The pale cloud globe is an artistic translation of that atmospheric evidence. The orbital chamber, its viewing geometry and its contents are invented; the image does not imply a habitable exposed environment on the planet.
The pale cloud globe is an artistic translation of that atmospheric evidence. The orbital chamber, its viewing geometry and its contents are invented; the image does not imply a habitable exposed environment on the planet. All depicted life is fictional. The visual connection to the cosmos is an artistic theme, not a claimed biological mechanism.
Catalog measurements & sources
Host: GJ 1214. Snapshot: 25 September 2026. Errors, limits and source provenance are retained. Calculated values and model estimates are not direct measurements. Unknown is not zero; equilibrium temperature is not surface temperature.
| Quantity / unit | Value / reported errors | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Radius · Earth radii | 2.733 (+0.033 / -0.031) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Mass · Earth masses | 8.41 (+0.36 / -0.35) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Density · g/cm³ | 2.26 (+0.11 / -0.11) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Orbital period · days | 1.5804 (+1.8e-08 / -1.7e-08) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Orbital semimajor axis · AU | 0.01505 (+0.00011 / -0.00011) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Eccentricity | 0.0062 (+0.0079 / -0.0044) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Inclination · degrees | 88.98 (+0.094 / -0.085) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Irradiation · Earth flux | 17.2 (+1 / -0.9) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Equilibrium temperature · K | 567 (+7.6 / -7.6) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Stellar effective temperature · K | 3101 (+43 / -43) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Stellar radius · Solar | 0.2162 (+0.0025 / -0.0024) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Stellar mass · Solar | 0.182 (+0.0042 / -0.0041) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Stellar luminosity · log Solar | -2.40894 (+0.02278 / -0.02286) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Stellar age · Gyr | ≥ 3 | Berta et al. 2011 |
| Stellar metallicity · dex | 0.24 (+0.11 / -0.11) | Mahajan et al. 2024 |
| Distance · pc | 14.6427 (+0.0372 / -0.0372) | TICv8 |
References
- NASA Exoplanet Archive · GJ 1214 b · composite snapshot, 25 September 2026
- Kempton et al. 2023 · A reflective, metal-rich atmosphere from the JWST phase curve
- Schlawin et al. · Possible carbon dioxide above the thick aerosols of GJ 1214 b
- Charbonneau et al. 2009
- Mahajan et al. 2024
- Berta et al. 2011
- TICv8