A multiplanet system of super-Earths orbiting the brightest red dwarf star GJ 887
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Author
Jeffers, S. V.
Dreizler, S.
Barnes, J. R.
Haswell, C. A.
Nelson, R. P.
Rodríguez, E.
Lopez-Gonzalez, M. J.
Morales, N.
Luque, R.
Zechmeister, M.
Vogt, S. S.
Jenkins, J. S.
Palle, E.
Berdinas, Z. M.
Coleman, G. A. L.
Diaz, M. R.
Ribas, I.
Jones, H. R. A.
Butler, R. P.
Tinney, C. G.
Bailey, J.
Carter, B. D.
~O'Toole, S.
Wittenmyer, R. A.
Crane, J. D.
Feng, F.
Shectman, S. A.
Teske, J.
Reiners, A.
Amado, P. J.
Anglada-Escude, G.
.
Attention
2299/23037
Abstract
The closet exoplanets to the Sun provide opportunities for detailed characterization of planets outside the Solar System. We report the discovery, using radial velocity measurements, of a compact multiplanet system of super-Earth exoplanets orbiting the nearby red dwarf star GJ 887. The two planets have orbital periods of 9.3 and 21.8 days. Assuming an Earth-like albedo, the equilibrium temperature of the 21.8-day planet is ~350 kelvin. The planets are interior to, but close to the inner edge of, the liquid-water habitable zone. We also detect an unconfirmed signal with a period of ~50 days, which could correspond to a third super-Earth in a more temperate orbit. Our observations show that GJ 887 has photometric variability below 500 parts per million, which is unusually quiet for a red dwarf.