An international team of astronomers discovered a new sub-Neptune exoplanet, GI 410 b, orbiting a nearby star on April 4. The planet was found using the radial velocity method at a telescope in Hawaii. The discovery offers insights into planets between Earth and Neptune in size and mass.

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• GI 410 b discovered on April 4 via radial velocity method
• Orbits GI 410, a star just 39 light years from Earth
• Classified as sub-Neptune; 8.5 times Earth’s mass
• Doesn’t transit its star; detection through light dips not possible
• Found using SPIRou spectropolarimeter at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
• SOPHIE optical velocimeter in France supported the discovery
• GI 410 is a young, low-mass star, half the Sun’s size
• Star’s surface temperature ~3,842 Kelvin; age ~480 million years
• Signs of 2 more possible planets with 2.99 and 18.7-day orbits
• More studies needed to confirm additional planets