Overview
- The peer‑reviewed detection in The Astronomical Journal identifies GJ 251 c as a likely rocky world inferred from radial‑velocity measurements.
- HPF at the Hobby‑Eberly Telescope delivered the high‑precision near‑infrared signal, with NEID at Kitt Peak providing confirming observations.
- Advanced modeling across wavelengths was used to disentangle planetary signals from stellar activity, though the team cautions that uncertainties remain.
- The planet’s ~54‑day orbit lies in the star’s temperate zone, and the system also hosts an inner world, GJ 251 b, on a ~14‑day orbit.
- No atmosphere or biosignatures have been detected; researchers say 30‑meter‑class telescopes such as TMT, GMT and ELT could attempt direct imaging within five to ten years.