Astronomers Confirm 6.1-Earth-Mass GJ 887 d 10.7 Light-Years Away as 2nd Nearby Habitable-Zone Planet
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 7
Astronomers Confirm 6.1-Earth-Mass GJ 887 d 10.7 Light-Years Away as 2nd Nearby Habitable-Zone Planet
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 7
Summary
GJ 887 d was confirmed after six years as a planet orbiting a red dwarf 10.7 light-years away, with a 50.77-day year and starlight exposure estimated at 81% of Earth’s.
101 new HARPS observations and 12 ESPRESSO measurements let researchers model stellar activity and conclude a four-planet system best fit the data, resolving a weaker 2020 signal near 50 days.
NASA’s Exoplanet Archive lists the planet’s minimum mass at 6.1 Earth masses and its orbit at 0.212 AU, but radial-velocity data alone cannot show whether it is rocky, water-rich or gas-shrouded.
Within roughly 11 light-years, only Proxima Centauri b at 4.24 light-years and GJ 887 d are now confirmed in or near habitable zones, though neither world is known to transit for easier atmospheric study.
That makes GJ 887 d a prime follow-up target rather than evidence of life: habitable-zone status only indicates possible liquid water under the right atmosphere, especially around flare-prone red dwarfs.