Astronomers have discovered GJ 1214b, a nearby planet that contains (supposedly) a plethora of water.  The 40-light years away planet is labeled a “super-Earth” because it’s recorded to be 2.7 times as large as Earth (and technically because it is between one and 10 times as large as Earth).  It orbits a star that is much smaller and less bright than our sun.  To the surprise of many scientists, this planet was sitting right underneath our noses; it was spotted “using an amateur-sized, 16-inch telescope on the ground.”  They never spotted it in the past because researchers don’t normally look for planets that orbit small stars.  David Charbonneau, a Harvard professor of astronomy: “Nature is just far more inventive in making planets than we were imagining.”  For those of you hoping that GJ 1214b contains life similar to that found on our Earth I have unfortunate news.  It’s been reported that its atmosphere is too thick and hot to support life like ours.  This being said, Charbonneau describes this as a breakthrough discovery and leaves the possibility of living organisms open due to the fact that the planet does contain water.  Now how about giving GJ 1214b a real name; it’s a start.

[Via CNN]