# A terrestrial planet candidate in a temperate orbit around Proxima Centauri

DOI:
10.1038/nature19106
Publication date:
01/08/2016
Main author:
IAA authors:
Amado, Pedro J.;Berdiñas, Zaira M.;López-González, Marίa J.;Morales, Nicolás;Ortiz, José L.;Rodríguez, Eloy;Rodrίguez-López, Cristina
Authors:
Anglada-Escudé, Guillem;Amado, Pedro J.;Barnes, John;Berdiñas, Zaira M.;Butler, R. Paul;Coleman, Gavin A. L.;de La Cueva, Ignacio;Dreizler, Stefan;Endl, Michael;Giesers, Benjamin;Jeffers, Sandra V.;Jenkins, James S.;Jones, Hugh R. A.;Kiraga, Marcin;Kürster, Martin;López-González, Marίa J.;Marvin, Christopher J.;Morales, Nicolás;Morin, Julien;Nelson, Richard P.;Ortiz, José L.;Ofir, Aviv;Paardekooper, Sijme-Jan;Reiners, Ansgar;Rodríguez, Eloy;Rodrίguez-López, Cristina;Sarmiento, Luis F.;Strachan, John P.;Tsapras, Yiannis;Tuomi, Mikko;Zechmeister, Mathias
Journal:
Nature
Publication type:
Article
Volume:
536
Pages:
437-440
Abstract:
At a distance of 1.295 parsecs, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri (α Centauri C, GL 551, HIP 70890 or simply Proxima) is the Sun’s closest stellar neighbour and one of the best-studied low-mass stars. It has an effective temperature of only around 3,050 kelvin, a luminosity of 0.15 per cent of that of the Sun, a measured radius of 14 per cent of the radius of the Sun and a mass of about 12 per cent of the mass of the Sun. Although Proxima is considered a moderately active star, its rotation period is about 83 days (ref. 3) and its quiescent activity levels and X-ray luminosity are comparable to those of the Sun. Here we report observations that reveal the presence of a small planet with a minimum mass of about 1.3 Earth masses orbiting Proxima with a period of approximately 11.2 days at a semi-major-axis distance of around 0.05 astronomical units. Its equilibrium temperature is within the range where water could be liquid on its surface.
Database: