English: Comparison of several possible sizes for the exoplanetGliese 581 b with the Solar System planet Neptune, using approximate models of planetary radius as a function of mass[1] for several possible compositions, based on mass reported in the Open Exoplanet Catalogue[2] as of 2015-11-14. Models include:
water world with a rocky core, composed of 75% H2O, 3% Fe, 22% MgSiO3
hypothetical pure water (ice) planet, the largest size for Gliese 581 b without a significant H/He envelope
rocky terrestrial "Earth-like" planet, composed of 67% Fe, 32.5% MgSiO3
hypothetical pure iron planet, Gliese 581 b's theoretical smallest size
Gliese 581 b is not likely to be smaller than the iron planet, and will be considerably larger than the water planet if significant H or He is present. For non-transiting planets, all modeled sizes will be underestimates to the extent that the planet's actual mass is larger than the reported minimum mass.
This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: Resizing to produce appropriately scaled Neptune comparison image. The original can be viewed here: Neptune.jpg: . Modifications made by Aldaron.
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