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An Earth-mass planet orbiting α Centauri B

Author

Listed:
  • Xavier Dumusque

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
    Centro de Astrofìsica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, P-4150-762 Porto, Portugal)

  • Francesco Pepe

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

  • Christophe Lovis

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

  • Damien Ségransan

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

  • Johannes Sahlmann

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

  • Willy Benz

    (Physikalisches Institut Universitat Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland)

  • François Bouchy

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
    Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR7095 CNRS, Université Pierre & Marie Curie, 98bis Boulevard Arago, F-75014 Paris, France)

  • Michel Mayor

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

  • Didier Queloz

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

  • Nuno Santos

    (Centro de Astrofìsica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, P-4150-762 Porto, Portugal
    Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, P-4169-007 Porto, Portugal)

  • Stéphane Udry

    (Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 chemin des Maillettes, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland)

Abstract

Exoplanets down to the size of Earth have been found, but not in the habitable zone—that is, at a distance from the parent star at which water, if present, would be liquid. There are planets in the habitable zone of stars cooler than our Sun, but for reasons such as tidal locking and strong stellar activity, they are unlikely to harbour water–carbon life as we know it. The detection of a habitable Earth-mass planet orbiting a star similar to our Sun is extremely difficult, because such a signal is overwhelmed by stellar perturbations. Here we report the detection of an Earth-mass planet orbiting our neighbour star α Centauri B, a member of the closest stellar system to the Sun. The planet has an orbital period of 3.236 days and is about 0.04 astronomical units from the star (one astronomical unit is the Earth–Sun distance).

Suggested Citation

  • Xavier Dumusque & Francesco Pepe & Christophe Lovis & Damien Ségransan & Johannes Sahlmann & Willy Benz & François Bouchy & Michel Mayor & Didier Queloz & Nuno Santos & Stéphane Udry, 2012. "An Earth-mass planet orbiting α Centauri B," Nature, Nature, vol. 491(7423), pages 207-211, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:491:y:2012:i:7423:d:10.1038_nature11572
    DOI: 10.1038/nature11572
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