Gj 832c: A super-Earth in the habitable zone

Journal Article · Wed Aug 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/114· OSTI ID:22365296

Wittenmyer, Robert A.; Horner, Jonathan; Tinney, C. G.; Marshall, J. P.; Bailey, J.; Salter, G. S.; Wright, D. ^[1]; Tuomi, Mikko; Jones, H. R. A. ^[2]; Butler, R. P.; Arriagada, P. ^[3]; Anglada-Escudé, Guillem ^[4]; Carter, B. D. ^[5]; O'Toole, S. J. ^[6]; Crane, J. D.; Schectman, S. A.; Thompson, I. ^[7]; Minniti, D. ^[8]; Jenkins, J. S.

---

1. School of Physics, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia)
2. Centre for Astrophysics Research, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB (United Kingdom)
3. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015-1305 (United States)
4. Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London (United Kingdom)
5. Computational Engineering and Science Research Centre, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350 (Australia)
6. Australian Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670 (Australia)
7. The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)
8. Institute of Astrophysics, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile)

We report the detection of GJ 832c, a super-Earth orbiting near the inner edge of the habitable zone of GJ 832, an M dwarf previously known to host a Jupiter analog in a nearly circular 9.4 yr orbit. The combination of precise radial-velocity measurements from three telescopes reveals the presence of a planet with a period of 35.68 ± 0.03 days and minimum mass (m sin i) of 5.4 ± 1.0 Earth masses. GJ 832c moves on a low-eccentricity orbit (e = 0.18 ± 0.13) toward the inner edge of the habitable zone. However, given the large mass of the planet, it seems likely that it would possess a massive atmosphere, which may well render the planet inhospitable. Indeed, it is perhaps more likely that GJ 832c is a 'super-Venus', featuring significant greenhouse forcing. With an outer giant planet and an interior, potentially rocky planet, the GJ 832 planetary system can be thought of as a miniature version of our own solar system.

• OSTI ID: 22365296
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 791, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ATMOSPHERES
DETECTION
JUPITER PLANET
MASS
ORBITS
RADIAL VELOCITY
SATELLITES
SOLAR SYSTEM
TELESCOPES
VENUS PLANET