UC Irvine Astronomers Discover Nearby Exoplanet in Habitable Zone

University of California Irvine astronomers have identified a nearby exoplanet located in a star's habitable zone, where surface conditions might exist that can support the presence of liquid water - an essential ingredient for all known life. The exoplanet, named GJ 251 c, may have a rocky composition like Earth and is several times more massive, making it a "super-Earth." This discovery has significant implications for the search for life beyond Earth and highlights the potential of future direct imaging studies with the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Key Takeaways:

• The University of California Irvine team discovered an exoplanet, GJ 251 c, located in a star's habitable zone, where surface conditions might support liquid water - a necessary ingredient for life.
• The exoplanet is a "super-Earth," with a rocky composition like Earth and several times more massive, making it an attractive target for future direct imaging studies.
• GJ 251 c orbits an M-dwarf star, the oldest and most common type of star in the Milky Way galaxy, and its proximity to Earth makes it an ideal target for future direct imaging with the Thirty Meter Telescope.
• The discovery was made possible by data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder and NEID, exoplanet-hunting instruments developed by University of California Irvine researchers.
• The team's statistical significance is strong enough to identify GJ 251 c as an exoplanet candidate, emphasizing the importance of future direct imaging observations with the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Statistics:

• GJ 251 c is located 18 light-years away from Earth, making it an ideal target for future direct imaging studies.
• The exoplanet orbits an M-dwarf star, which is the oldest and most common type of star in the Milky Way galaxy.
• The Thirty Meter Telescope is expected to be capable of imaging faint exoplanets like GJ 251 c and confirming the presence of water.
• The University of California Irvine team used data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder and NEID to detect the subtle effects GJ 251 c has on its host star.
• The research was supported by NSF grant AST-2108493 for the HPF exoplanet survey and NASA/NSF funding for the NN-EXPLORE program.

Sources:

• [1] News.uci.edu, "UC Irvine astronomers discover nearby exoplanet in habitable zone" (October 23, 2025)
• [2] The Astronomical Journal, "The Discovery of GJ 251 c: A Nearby Super-Earth in the Habitable Zone" (published today)
• [3] NASA/NSF, grant AST-2108493 for the HPF exoplanet survey
• [4] NASA/NSF, grant number 1716038 for the NN-EXPLORE program