WISPIT 2

WISPIT 2

The disk around WISPIT 2 with VLT SPHERE. The protoplanet WISPIT 2b is inside the gap of the disk on the lower right while zoomed in, another protoplanet WISPIT 2c is inside of the inner disk
Credit: ESO/R. F. van Capelleveen et al.
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Aquila
Right ascension 19h 23m 17.03s
Declination −07° 40′ 55.1″
Apparent magnitude (V) 11.60±0.12
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage pre-main-sequence
Variable type T Tau
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+6.490±0.065 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +6.308±0.024 mas/yr
Dec.: −27.138±0.018 mas/yr
Parallax (π)7.4649±0.0214 mas
Distance437 ± 1 ly
(134.0 ± 0.4 pc)
Orbit
Period (P)4.8±0.1 days
Semi-major axis (a)0.072 au (15.54 R☉)
Eccentricity (e)0
Inclination (i)45.66°
Periastron epoch (T)61101.8±2.7 MJD
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)		25.17±0.05 km/s
Details
Primary
Mass0.97 M☉
Radius1.418±0.004 R☉
Luminosity (bolometric)0.699±0.021 L☉
Surface gravity (log g)4.00±0.25 cgs
Temperature4400±50 K
Rotation4.7004 days
Age5.1+2.4
−1.3 Myr
Secondary
Mass0.33 M☉
Other designations
TYC 5709-354-1, IRAS 19205-0746, IRAS F19205-0746, Gaia DR2 4207586980945067648
Database references
SIMBADdata
Exoplanet Archivedata

WISPIT 2 (also called TYC 5709-354-1) is a binary star in the constellation Aquila. It is part of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association, likely belonging to the subgroup Theia 53. The system has a directly imaged circumstellar disk with multiple rings and two directly imaged protoplanets inside the rings' gaps. One of the protoplanets, WISPIT 2b, was also detected in H-alpha, showing that it is actively accreting gas from a surrounding circumplanetary disk. The star is named after the astronomical survey Wide Separation Planets In Time (WISPIT) in the course of which the protoplanetary system was discovered.

The binary nature of WISPIT 2 was discovered in 2026. It is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 4.8 days a semi-major axis of 0.072 au. The orbit is thought to be circular, with an eccentricity close to zero, and the inclination is assumed to be the same of the outer disk, based on observational evidence. The primary has an estimated mass of 0.97 M☉, while the estimated mass of the secondary is 0.33 M☉.

Circumstellar disk

The disk was classified as transitional, meaning it has an inner cavity. The disk has 4 rings and one prominent gap at 68 astronomical units (AU). The outermost ring is located at 316 AU and the disk was detected out to a distance of 2.8 arcseconds (380 AU) from the star. The inclination of the disk is around 44° to 46°.

Planetary system

Observations with VLT/SPHERE, Magellan MagAO-X and LBT/LMIRcam revealed one planet located inside gap 3. The protoplanet was confirmed to move with the star and shows orbital motion in images from October 2023 to April 2025. The planet has a mass of around 5 MJ and is responsible for clearing a gap inside the disk. The protoplanet is also detected in H-alpha, showing that it is accreting material from a circumplanetary disk. This makes WISPIT 2b similar to the PDS 70 planets, 2MJ1612b and possibly LkCa 15b.

Annotated thermal-infrared image of the WISPIT 2 protoplanetary system seen with LBTI/LMIRcam. Credit: Laird Close & Gabriel Weible (University of Arizona)

One additional inner candidate planet, CC1, was detected together with WISPIT 2b, but needed further observations to determine whether it is a planet or a dust clump. Spectroscopic observations published in 2026 confirmed that CC1 is indeed a planet, now named WISPIT 2c.

The WISPIT 2 planetary system
Companion
(in order from star)		 Mass Semimajor axis
(AU)		 Orbital period
(years)		 Eccentricity Inclination
(°)		 Radius
c 8–12: 7  MJ 15 — — — 1.78–2.20: 7  RJ
Ring 3 38.44±0.09 AU 44.95±0.39° —
b 5.3±1.0 MJ 57.5 — — — 1.6±0.2 RJ
Gap 3 69.0±0.6 AU 44.2±0.8° —
Ring 2 96.7±0.6 AU 41.8±0.6° —
Ring 1 163.6±2.9 AU 45.4±1.1° —
Ring 0 316.4±4.5 AU 43.6±1.5° —

See also

References

  1. ↑ Roman, Nancy G. (1987). "Identification of a constellation from a position". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 99 (617): 695. Bibcode:1987PASP...99..695R. doi:10.1086/132034. Constellation record for this object at VizieR.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. ↑ Høg, E.; Fabricius, C.; Makarov, V. V.; Urban, S.; Corbin, T.; Wycoff, G.; Bastian, U.; Schwekendiek, P.; Wicenec, A. (March 2000). "The Tycho-2 catalogue of the 2.5 million brightest stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 355: L27–L30. Bibcode:2000A&A...355L..27H. ISSN 0004-6361.
  4. 1 2 Close, Laird M.; et al. (2025). "Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT): Discovery of a Gap Hα Protoplanet WISPIT 2b with MagAO-X". The Astrophysical Journal. 990 (1): L9. arXiv:2508.19046. Bibcode:2025ApJ...990L...9C. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/adf7a5.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Bürgy, Cade J.; Benisty, Myriam; Alqubelat, Hala; Manara, Carlo F.; Facchini, Stefano (2026-07-24). "A closer look at the WISPIT 2 host star. Evidence for a spectroscopic binary". Astronomy and Astrophysics. arXiv:2607.22405. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202662086.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 van Capelleveen, Richelle F.; Ginski, Christian; Kenworthy, Matthew A.; Byrne, Jake; Lawlor, Chloe; McLachlan, Dan; Mamajek, Eric E.; Stolker, Tomas; Benisty, Myriam; Bohn, Alexander J.; Close, Laird M.; Dominik, Carsten; Haffert, Sebastiaan; Landman, Rico; Ma, Jie (2025-08-26). "WIde Separation Planets In Time (WISPIT): A Gap-clearing Planet in a Multi-ringed Disk around the Young Solar-type Star WISPIT 2". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 990 (1): L8. arXiv:2508.19053. Bibcode:2025ApJ...990L...8V. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/adf721. ISSN 2041-8205.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Close, Laird M.; van Capelleveen, Richelle F.; Weible, Gabriel; Wagner, Kevin; Haffert, Sebastiaan Y.; Males, Jared R.; Ilyin, Ilya; Kenworthy, Matthew A.; Li, Jialin; Long, Joseph D.; Ertel, Steve; Ginski, Christian; Weinberger, Alycia J.; Follette, Kate; Liberman, Joshua (2025-08-26). "Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT): Discovery of a Gap Hα Protoplanet WISPIT 2b with MagAO-X". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 990 (1): L9. arXiv:2508.19046. Bibcode:2025ApJ...990L...9C. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/adf7a5. ISSN 2041-8205.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Lawlor, Chloe; Capelleveen, Richelle F. van; Bourdarot, Guillaume; Ginski, Christian; Kenworthy, Matthew A.; Stolker, Tomas; Close, Laird; Bohn, Alexander J.; Eisenhauer, Frank (2026-03-23). "Direct spectroscopic confirmation of the young embedded proto-planet WISPIT 2c". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 1000 (2): L38. arXiv:2603.22085. Bibcode:2026ApJ..1000L..38L. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ae4b3b. (accessed 24 March 2026)