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2w ago

Astrometric Study Flags Tentative Exomoon Around HD 206893 B as JWST Analysis Points to Starspot False Positive

Researchers stress independent confirmation before any first exomoon claim.

Credit: NASA
Artist's rendition of an Earth-like exomoon orbiting a larger exoplanet. (Credit: Frizaven on English Wikipedia; redistributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License)

Overview

  • Using the VLTI/GRAVITY instrument, astronomers detected subtle positional shifts of the directly imaged companion HD 206893 B that suggest a secondary object nearby.
  • The putative companion has an inferred orbital period of roughly 0.76 years and an estimated mass near 0.4 Jupiter, much smaller than the ~28‑Jupiter‑mass host at about 133 light‑years.
  • The study frames the signal as provisional and calls for more GRAVITY observations and independent analyses to verify the detection.
  • In parallel, a 60‑hour JWST NIRSpec campaign on Kepler‑167e found a moon‑like signature that the team judges most consistent with a starspot and detector systematics after testing multiple pipelines and models.
  • No exomoon has been confirmed so far, and follow‑up efforts continue, including a potential revisit of Kepler‑167e during its next transit window in 2027.