 The discovery image of Candidate 1, taken by the NEAR instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope in 2021. | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Wagner, et al. |
| Discovery date | 2021 |
| Direct imaging | |
| Designations | |
| Alpha Centauri Ab, Rigil Kentaurus b, C1 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 1.1 AU | |
| ~360 d | |
| Inclination | ~70° |
| Star | Alpha Centauri A |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.3-7 R🜨 | |
| Mass | ~20-50 ME |
Candidate 1 (also known as C1 or Alpha Centauri Ab) is an exoplanet candidate directly imaged around Alpha Centauri A in February 2021. If confirmed as an exoplanet, it would orbit at approximately 1.1 AU away from Alpha Centauri A with a period of about a year and would have a mass between that of Neptune and one-half that of Saturn and would therefore likely be a gas giant.[1] Despite being a gas giant, due to its position in its orbit with Alpha Centauri A, it could have habitable moon(s) in its own orbit. The planet candidate is yet to be confirmed as an exoplanetary signal; additional observations are needed to confirm its true nature.
- ^ a b Wagner, K.; Boehle, A.; Pathak, P.; Kasper, M.; Arsenault, R.; Jakob, G.; Käufl, U.; Leveratto, S.; Maire, A.-L.; Pantin, E.; Siebenmorgen, R. (2021-02-10). "Imaging low-mass planets within the habitable zone of α Centauri". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 922. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21176-6. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7876126. PMID 33568657.