Overview

• In August 2024, JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument captured a thermal signature near Alpha Centauri A using a coronagraph to suppress starlight.
• Analysis estimates the candidate is a gas giant roughly 90–150 Earth masses with an eccentric, inclined orbit of 1.6–2.1 AU and a two- to three-year period.
• Follow-up JWST observations in February and April 2025 failed to detect the signal, but orbital simulations show the planet would have been too close to its star to be visible.
• Further imaging campaigns are planned to confirm the existence of the object, which would be designated Alpha Centauri Ab upon verification.
• If validated, the candidate would become the nearest directly imaged exoplanet around a sun-like star, opening new opportunities for atmospheric and orbital studies.