Super-Earth

type of planet with a mass higher than Earth but less than that of a gas giant

A super-Earth is an extrasolar planet.

Illustration of the inferred size of the super-Earth COROT-7b (center) in comparison with Earth and Neptune

It has a mass higher than Earth's, but much less than the Solar System's ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, which are 15 and 17 times Earth's mass, respectively.[1]

The term "super-Earth" refers only to the mass of the planet, and does not imply anything about the surface conditions or habitability.

References

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  1. Valencia, V.; Sasselov, D. D.; O'Connell, R. J. (2007). "Radius and structure models of the first super-earth planet". The Astrophysical Journal. 656 (1): 545–551. arXiv:astro-ph/0610122. Bibcode:2007ApJ...656..545V. doi:10.1086/509800. S2CID 17656317.