super-Earth

plural super-Earths

1. astronomyAny extrasolar rocky planet several times larger than Earth, especially such a planet detected as it transits its star.

   1 more example

   Researchers had been hoping to spot water vapor in the atmosphere of a more Earth-like planet, especially one in its star’s habitable zone, but these worlds are relatively small, making observations of their atmospheres extraordinarily difficult. The larger the planet, the easier the detection, so researchers focused their efforts on super-Earths: planets with masses up to 10 times that of our home planet, which means they might also sport rocky surfaces.

   2019 September 11, Michael Greshko, “Water found on a potentially life-friendly alien planet”, in National Geographic