Lacaille 9352




Lacaille 9352, also commonly called Gliese 887, is a red dwarf star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. With an apparent visual magnitude of 7.34, this star is too faint to be viewed with the naked eye except possibly under excellent seeing conditions. Parallax measurements place it at a distance of about from Earth. It is the twelfth closest star system to the Solar System and is the closest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Its closest neighbour is the EZ Aquarii triple star system at about 4.1 ly away.

Properties

This star has the fourth highest known proper motion, moving a total of 6.9 arcseconds per year. However, this is still a very small movement overall, as there are 3,600 arcseconds in a degree of arc. The space velocity components of this star are =. If the radial velocity equals +9.7 km/s then about 2,700 years ago Lacaille 9352 was at its minimal distance of approximately from the Sun.
The spectrum of Lacaille 9352 places it at a stellar classification of M0.5V, indicating it is a type of main sequence star known as a red dwarf. This was the first red dwarf star to have its angular diameter measured, with the physical diameter being about 47% of the Sun's radius. It has around half the mass of the Sun and the outer envelope has an effective temperature of about 3,670 K.

Planetary system

In June 2020, two super-Earth planets were reported, as well as a third candidate planet with a period of 50.7 days, located within the habitable zone. They were detected using the radial velocity method from observations with HARPS in Chile and HIRES in Hawaii. A 2026 follow-up study confirmed the 50-day planet and detected a fourth, Earth-mass planet closer to the star. A fifth candidate signal is also suspected. The habitable-zone planet, GJ 887 d, is the second-nearest known exoplanet in the habitable zone after Proxima Centauri b, though it is significantly more massive than Earth and its composition is unknown. It may be possible to characterize it with proposed direct imaging missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
Additionally, the star presents a difference in proper motion measurements taken by the Hipparcos and Gaia spacecraft, suggesting the possible presence of an outer giant planet.