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Exoplanet GJ 486 b (Artist Concept)

Occupying the left two-thirds of the image is a foreground planet mostly in shadow. On the right side, a tan crescent shows subtle surface features. A thin, tenuous blue atmosphere lines the planet’s limb. On the right, a small red globe represents a red dwarf star. Its surface is mottled with small, dark spots resembling sunspots. Both planet and star are on a mostly black background speckled with hundreds of faint, distant stars.

This artist concept represents the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b, which orbits a red dwarf star that is only 26 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. By observing GJ 486 b transit in front of its star, astronomers sought signs of an atmosphere. They detected hints of water vapor. However, they caution that while this might be a sign of a planetary atmosphere, the water could be on the star itself – specifically, in cool starspots – and not from the planet at all.

GJ 486 b is about 30% larger than the Earth and weighs three times as much. It orbits its star closely in just under 1.5 days.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12:47:57.0
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +09:45:05
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Virgo
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    26 light-years
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    GJ 486 b
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Exoplanet
  • Release Date
    May 1, 2023
  • Science Release
    Webb Finds Water Vapor, But From a Rocky Planet or Its Star?
  • Credit
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI), Leah Hustak (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 3840 × 2160
    tif (5.45 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 3840 × 2160
    png (5.47 MB)
  • Half Res, 1920 × 1080
    jpg (305.43 KB)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Illustration Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI), Leah Hustak (STScI)