Overview

• Researchers used JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument in coronagraphic mode to block Alpha Centauri A’s glare and reveal a faint planetary signal
• Combined JWST and ground-based data constrain its orbit and mid-infrared brightness, suggesting a Saturn-mass gas giant roughly Jupiter’s size
• Computer simulations show the candidate’s two-year elliptical orbit brought it too close to its star during early 2025 follow-ups, explaining non-detections
• Two papers accepted in The Astrophysical Journal Letters outline the imaging methodology, data analysis and orbital modeling results
• Pending additional JWST and upcoming Roman Telescope observations, confirmation would mark the nearest directly imaged planet around a true solar analog