2026ApJ..1000L..38L -
Astrophys. J., 1000, L38 (2026/April-1)
Direct Spectroscopic Confirmation of the Young Embedded Protoplanet WISPIT 2c.
LAWLOR C., VAN CAPELLEVEEN R.F., BOURDAROT G., GINSKI C., KENWORTHY M.A., STOLKER T., CLOSE L., BOHN A.J., EISENHAUER F., GARCIA P., HONIG S.F., KAMMERER J., KREIDBERG L., LACOUR S., LE BOUQUIN J.-B., MAMAJEK E., NOWAK M., PAUMARD T., STRAUBMEIER C., VAN DER MAREL N. (The ExoGRAVITY Collaboration)
Abstract (from CDS):
WISPIT 2 is a nearby young star with a multiringed disk that was recently confirmed to host a ∼4.9 MJup gas giant planet embedded in a large (60 au) gap at a radial separation of 57 au from the host star. We confirm and characterize a second, close-in planet in the WISPIT 2 system using a combination of new Very Large Telescope/SPHERE H-band dual-polarization imaging and VLTI/GRAVITY K-band interferometric observations of the WISPIT 2 system. The GRAVITY detection is consistent with a point-like source while its extracted K-band spectrum shows CO band-head absorption at 2.3 μm and a continuum shape consistent with a young giant planet. From the GRAVITY data, we extract a medium resolution K-band spectrum of the companion and fit atmospheric model grids using the species tool with nested sampling to constrain its effective temperature, radius, and luminosity. We infer Teff of 1500-2600 K, a radius of 0.91-2.2 RJup, and a luminosity of (-3.47)-(-3.63). Comparison with evolutionary tracks implies a mass range of 8-12 MJup, approximately twice as massive as the previously confirmed WISPIT 2b. The astrometry rules out a background source and marginally detects orbital motion of WISPIT 2 c, which needs further follow-up observations for confirmation. WISPIT 2 now becomes an analog to PDS 70, offering a second laboratory for studying the formation and early evolution of a multiplanet system within its natal disk.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Protoplanetary disks - Exoplanets - Exoplanet formation - Direct imaging - Interferometry - Spectroscopy
Simbad objects:
11
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