Webb Unmasks a New Class: The GJ 1214 b ‘Super Venus’

NASA’s JWST pierced the long-standing haze of exoplanet GJ 1214 b (about 47 light-years away) to detect carbon dioxide and methane in its thick atmosphere, suggesting a high-metallicity, greenhouse-like environment. This challenges the absence of such sub-Neptunes in our solar system and has led to a proposed new class, the “super Venus.” Further observations are needed to confirm the atmospheric structure and chemistry, but the finding marks a milestone in characterizing hazy exoplanets.