BD-06 1339: A Nearby K-Type Dwarf and Its Two Known Planets

BD-06 1339 is a star 66.1 light-years from Earth. Its spectral type, K7/M0 V, places it among the cooler, redder dwarf stars. The star is 4.4 billion years old, holds 0.7 solar masses, and has a temperature of 4320 K. Its mass is smaller than the Sun's, and its temperature is cooler than the Sun's.

Two planets are known to orbit this host. Both were discovered in 2013 by the radial velocity method, which measures the wobble a planet's gravity induces in its star's motion; repeated wobbles reveal the planet and its orbital period.

BD-06 1339 b has a minimum mass of 8.5 Earth masses and an orbital period of 3.87 days. That minimum mass is larger than Earth's, and among the listed planets it is the smallest minimum mass and the shortest year.

BD-06 1339 c has a minimum mass of 53 Earth masses and an orbital period of 126 days. That minimum mass is larger than Earth's, and among the listed planets it is the largest minimum mass and the longest year.

A minimum mass is a lower bound on a planet's true mass, distinct from an ordinary mass estimate.