Over the past few years, astronomers have catalogued several new exoplanets called “Super-Earths,” rocky (and maybe watery) worlds sort of like our own — except a lot bigger. Here are what they might look like, according to science artists working with space agencies.
Gliese 163 c, orbiting the red dwarf Gliese 163, about 49 light-years from us, in the constellation Dorado. The planet has 7.2 times the mass of Earth.
(via NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Kepler-69c, a terrestrial extrasolar planet about 70% larger than Earth, orbiting Kepler-69, about 2,700 light-years form Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (the Swan).
(via NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech)
Gliese 581 e, with a minimum mass of 1.7 Earth masses. It’s 20.5 light-years away in the constellation of Libra. There are three other planets in the background, with masses of about 7, 5 and 16 Earth-masses (left to right).
(via ESO/L. Calçada)
HD 85512 b, an exoplanet orbiting Gliese 370, about 36 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Vela, on the edge of the habitable zone. It has a minimum Earth mass of 3.6.
(via ESO/M. Kornmesser/Nick Risinger)
55 Cancri e, a planet orbits 25 times closer to its star than ours and has a really hot (3,140°F or 1726 °C) sun-facing side.
(via NASA/JPL-Caltech)
55 Cancri e, in the constellation Cancer, 40 light-years away from Earth. It could be a carbon planet, and it takes less than 18 hours to complete an orbit.
(via Space.com)
The Gliese 581g
(via Nicholas Kay)
Kepler-22b, about 600 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. It’s radius is 2.4 times the radius of Earth and has a 290 days long orbital period.
(via NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech)
Gliese 667 Cb, orbiting around the star Gliese 667 in the constellation Scorpius, 22.7 light years away. Its minimum mass is about 4.39 Earth masses.
(via ESO/L.Calcada and PHL @ UPR Arecibo/ESO/S. Brunier)
Kepler-62f, a planet roughly 40 percent larger than Earth, approximately 1,200 light-years from us in the constellation Lyra. It orbits it’s host star every 267 days.
(via NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech and daniellefw)
