Asuper-Neptune is aplanet that is more massive than the planetNeptune. These planets are generally described as being around 5–7 times as large as Earth with estimated masses of 20–80M🜨;[1] beyond this they are generally referred to asgas giants. A planet falling within this mass range may also be referred to as asub-Saturn.[2]
There have been relatively few discoveries of planets of this kind. The mass gap between Neptune-like andJupiter-like planets is thought to exist because of "runawayaccretion" occurring forprotoplanets of more than20 M🜨—once this mass threshold is crossed, they accumulate much additional mass (due togravity increasing with mass and the presence of material in anaccretion disk) and grow into planets the size of Jupiter oreven larger.[2]
Known examples includeKepler-101b,HAT-P-11b, andK2-33b.[3][4]
Through modelling, and analysis of discovered exoplanets, the relationship between mass and radius has given a much higher upper limit for the transition boundary between Neptune and Jupiter worlds than had been previously defined empirically from observing the planets within theSolar System, for example Chen & Kipping (2017) defined the transition point between Neptunian and Jovian worlds at around 130M🜨.[5] In studies looking into this relationship between mass-radius, Saturn, though never defined as an ice giant, is however found to sit just within the mass-radius limits for a Neptunian world, close to the transition point between super-Neptune and Jupiter world.[6]
 | This exoplanet related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
