The star GJ1214

GJ1214 is a star five times smaller than our Sun and three hundred times less bright. Located only 40 light-years away from us, it is found to be surrounded by a super-Earth planet whose interior is likely mostly made of water ice. The planet appears to be rather hot and surrounded by a thick atmosphere, which makes it inhospitable for life as we know it on Earth.

This image is based on data obtained through 2 different filters (blue and red), which were taken 7 years apart. Because the star is very close to the Earth, it has a large apparent motion on the sky, and so has moved in between the 7 years. This is why the star appears as a double coloured object in this image.