A nearby transiting rocky exoplanet that is suitable for atmospheric investigation

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a nearby, rocky exoplanet around Gliese 486, suitable for atmospheric study via spectroscopy due to its favorable properties and proximity.

Contribution

The paper presents the detection and characterization of a new transiting rocky exoplanet, Gliese 486 b, with detailed physical parameters and its potential for atmospheric investigation.

Findings

Discovered a transiting rocky exoplanet around Gliese 486

Planet has 2.81 Earth masses and 1.31 Earth radii

Suitable for atmospheric spectroscopy due to proximity and properties

Abstract

Spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets can be used to investigate their atmospheric properties and habitability. Combining radial velocity (RV) and transit data provides additional information on exoplanet physical properties. We detect a transiting rocky planet with an orbital period of 1.467 days around the nearby red dwarf star Gliese 486. The planet Gliese 486 b is 2.81 Earth masses and 1.31 Earth radii, with uncertainties of 5%, as determined from RV data and photometric light curves. The host star is at a distance of ~8.1 parsecs, has a J-band magnitude of ~7.2, and is observable from both hemispheres of Earth. On the basis of these properties and the planet's short orbital period and high equilibrium temperature, we show that this terrestrial planet is suitable for emission and transit spectroscopy.