In a fascinating astronomical breakthrough, an international team of scientists has discovered a brand-new exoplanet orbiting a nearby star named GI 410. This planet, now officially called GI 410 b, is classified as a sub-Neptune, which means it is larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. The discovery was made on April 4 using the radial velocity (RV) detection method—a widely used technique for spotting distant worlds.
How did scientists find the new planet?
The radial velocity method, also known as the Doppler method, detects exoplanets by observing small wobbles in a star's motion. These wobbles occur due to the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet, which alters the star’s speed ever so slightly. This method is highly effective and has already helped astronomers discover over 600 exoplanets to date.
The new planet was discovered using the SPIRou near-infrared spectropolarimeter installed at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Supporting data also came from the SOPHIE optical velocimeter at the Haute-Provence Observatory in France.
About the newly found planet: GI 410 b
GI 410 b is a sub-Neptune-type exoplanet with a mass approximately 8.5 times that of Earth. Interestingly, its radius remains constant, suggesting it does not transit or pass directly in front of its host star, making it harder to detect through traditional light-dimming methods.
Meet GI 410: The host star
The host star, GI 410, is located just 39 light years away from Earth, relatively close in cosmic terms. It is a young, low-mass star, nearly half the size of the Sun, with a surface temperature of around 3,842 Kelvin. At 480 million years old, it’s considered a young star compared to our 4.6 billion-year-old Sun.
Could there be more planets?
Interestingly, researchers also observed signs of two additional potential planets orbiting GI 410, with orbital periods of 2.99 days and 18.7 days. However, these signals need more analysis and follow-up studies to confirm their existence.