‘Venus on steroids’: This super-hot exoplanet could be a missing link

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

Super-Venus Revealed

Enaiposha (GJ 1214 b) isn’t a mini-Neptune—it’s a scorching, haze-filled world with a dense, metal-rich atmosphere unlike anything seen before.

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47 Light-Years Away

This bizarre exoplanet, located just 47 light-years from Earth, may be a missing link between gas giants and rocky super-Earths.

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Not What We Thought

Scientists thought Enaiposha was a typical mini-Neptune—until JWST’s infrared eyes exposed its thick haze and unexpected chemical mix.

Venus on Fire

Like Venus, Enaiposha is wrapped in an impenetrable cloud layer. But its sky is filled with aerosols and strange molecules that scientists struggle to explain.

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CO₂ & Methane Mix

This planet’s atmosphere contains carbon dioxide, water, methane, and metals—raising new questions about how exoplanets evolve over time.

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Alien Chemistry

JWST’s readings suggest Enaiposha may have once been Neptune-like, slowly shedding its atmosphere to become a super-heated, Venus-like world.

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Evolution in Action

Some planets may transform from gas giants into rocky worlds over billions of years. Enaiposha could be caught mid-metamorphosis.

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Atmospheric Mystery

Its extreme haze blocks almost all light, making it one of the most difficult exoplanets to study—yet also one of the most intriguing.

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Planetary Puzzle

If Enaiposha is evolving, thousands of other exoplanets could be undergoing similar transformations, hidden in plain sight.

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