Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: International Gemini Observatory
Astronomers found four rocky exoplanets orbiting Barnard’s Star, our closest single-star neighbor, marking a historic breakthrough in small-planet discovery.
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Using MAROON-X on Gemini North, scientists detected the smallest exoplanet ever found with the radial velocity technique—just 20% of Earth’s mass.
Credit: International Gemini Observatory
Barnard’s Star, a nearby red dwarf, now known to host a compact planetary system, gives critical insight into planet formation around the universe's most common stars.
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With data from 112 nights over three years, astronomers confirmed four planets, ending decades of false starts in the search for planets around this elusive star.
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MAROON-X detects planets by spotting minute stellar wobbles, showing the gravitational tug of tiny planets—achieving a new precision frontier in planet hunting.
The fourth planet is the least massive exoplanet ever detected by radial velocity, showing that technology now reaches into sub-Earth territory.
These rocky planets whip around Barnard’s Star in days, hinting at dense, hot worlds—but still offering clues on how small planets form close to their stars.
After a century of failed hunts, Barnard’s Star—planet hunters’ "great white whale"—finally yields its secrets with the help of cutting-edge astronomy.
With MAROON-X now set to become a permanent Gemini North instrument, astronomers expect a new era of detecting Earth-sized and smaller worlds near our cosmic doorstep.
Credit: International Gemini Observatory