Abstract

AU Microscopii (AU Mic) is the second closest pre-main-sequence star, at a distance of 9.79 parsecs and with an age of 22 million years(1). AU Mic possesses a relatively rare(2) and spatially resolved(3) edge-on debris disk extending from about 35 to 210 astronomical units from the star(4), and w... Show moreAU Microscopii (AU Mic) is the second closest pre-main-sequence star, at a distance of 9.79 parsecs and with an age of 22 million years(1). AU Mic possesses a relatively rare(2) and spatially resolved(3) edge-on debris disk extending from about 35 to 210 astronomical units from the star(4), and with clumps exhibiting non-Keplerian motion(5-7). Detection of newly formed planets around such a star is challenged by the presence of spots, plage, flares and other manifestations of magnetic 'activity' on the star(8,9). Here we report observations of a planet transiting AU Mic. The transiting planet, AU Mic b, has an orbital period of 8.46 days, an orbital distance of 0.07 astronomical units, a radius of 0.4 Jupiter radii, and a mass of less than 0.18 Jupiter masses at 3 sigma confidence. Our observations of a planet co-existing with a debris disk offer the opportunity to test the predictions of current models of planet formation and evolution. Show less