Gliese 887

This just in: Gliese 887 has planets. Only eleven light-years away; 12th closest if we don't count the brown dwarfs. Jeffers et al., "A multiple planet system of super-Earths orbiting the brightest red dwarf star GJ887", DOI 10.1126/science.aaz0795

The star is a red-dwarf and the two planets have years 9.3 and 21.8 days. Close to a 7:3 resonance, 65.4 days v. 65.1 - but not close enough for Jeffers. There's another periodic signal 50.7 days out, but it's less certain. Jeffers' team thinks this star rotates slowly so the periodicities aren't spinning starspots, which in any case are rare on this one. Proxima Centauri this is not.

Jeffers can only give a minimum mass with this method - it's the star weaving back and forth, not visible light from the planets. Earth masses 4.2 ± 0.6 and 7.6 ± 1.2. The inner one is on a circular orbit (unlike Mercury); the outer one might be traveling on an ellipse.

The inner planet is assuredly getting pounded not just by the star's heat but by the tidal forces. I don't know if its rotation is locked with the star, but we do know it's uninhabitable. The outer one is a more difficult call. To me it looks like a super Venus.

You can tell the authors are most excited about that possible 887d. The system is close enough that we could detect the planets directly.