First Light for NIRPS: Exoplanet Detection Takes a Giant Leap

Prepare to be amazed! The cutting-edge Near InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS), developed in collaboration with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, has made waves with its first scientific results at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. This state-of-the-art infrared spectrograph just published four groundbreaking studies in Astronomy & Astrophysics, with another awaiting its moment in the spotlight.

For the first time ever, NIRPS has proven it can detect Earth-like planets in the infrared spectrum with stellar precision—better than just one metre per second! Among the notable discoveries is a planet that’s a third of Earth's mass orbiting Proxima Centauri, our solar system's nearest neighbor.

Precision Unleashed: A New Era of Exoplanet Exploration

After two years of meticulous observations, NIRPS is reshaping the landscape of exoplanet research. Designed specifically for spotting terrestrial planets around cooler stars, it has achieved remarkable radial velocity precision, a pivotal factor in identifying the tiny movements of these distant worlds.

François Bouchy, co-Principal Investigator of the NIRPS consortium, exclaimed, "These initial results exceed our expectations and confirm NIRPS as a high-precision tool tailored for red-dwarf stars!"