GJ 1214b

GJ 1214b is a planet that orbits a red dwarf star about 40 light years distant. It has 7 times Earth's mass and 2.7 times Earth's diameter, which makes it a super-Earth. Using the Hubble Space Telescope to study the planet's atmosphere, researchers have also found the planet is largely made of water.

Orbiting close to its star, GJ 1214b's surface temperature is high-- too high, scientists say, for life to exist there. They also say, however, that the planet probably formed farther away from the star and migrated in to its current position. At some point, they speculate, the planet may have had Earth-like temperature. If so, and if life arose during that period-- likely aquatic life-- that life could conceivably still exist within a comfortable layer of that deep ocean.