GJ 1214 b

GJ 1214 b (sometimes Gliese 1214 b, also named Enaiposha since 2023) is an exoplanet that orbits the star GJ 1214, discovered in December 2009. Its parent star is 48 light-years (15 pc) from the Sun, in the constellation Ophiuchus. At the time of its discovery, GJ 1214 b was the most likely known candidate for being an ocean planet. For that reason, scientists at that time often called the planet a "waterworld". However, a recent study of the planet's internal structure informed by observations taken with the James Webb Space Telescope suggests that a "waterworld" composition is implausible and the planet is more likely to host a thick gaseous envelope consisting of hydrogen, helium, water and other volatile chemicals such as methane or carbon dioxide.

It is a mini-Neptune, meaning it is larger than Earth but is significantly smaller (in mass and radius) than the gas giants of the Solar System. After CoRoT-7b, it was the second planet between Earth and Neptune in mass to have both its mass and radius measured and is the first of a new class of planets with small size and relatively low density. GJ 1214 b is also significant because its parent star is relatively near the Sun and because it transits that parent star, which allows the planet's atmosphere to be studied using spectroscopic methods.