The Nearby Red Dwarf GJ 849 and Its Two Known Planets

GJ 849 is an M3.5 star, a cool red dwarf, located 28.7 light-years away. Its spectral class places it among the smallest and coolest stellar types. The star's reported mass is 0.45 solar masses and its radius is 0.45 solar radii, both smaller than the Sun's. Its temperature of 3470 K is cooler than the Sun's.

Two planets are known to orbit this host. The first, GJ 849 b, was found by the radial velocity method in 2006. That technique detects the wobble a planet's gravity induces in its star's motion, with repeated wobbles revealing the planet and its orbital period. GJ 849 b has a minimum mass of 284 Earth masses, meaning its true mass is at least that value, and an orbital period of 1930 days - the shortest reported year among the listed planets.

GJ 849 c was discovered by the same method in 2014. Its minimum mass is 315 Earth masses - the largest among the listed planets - and its orbital period is 5990 days, the longest reported year among them. Both planets' minimum masses are larger than Earth's.

The star's reported mass estimate and radius estimate are each smaller than the Sun's, and its reported temperature is cooler than the Sun's.