| Detection of a NEPTUNE-mass planet in the $\rho^{1}$ Cancri system using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (2004) | |||||||||
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| We report the detection of the lowest mass extra-solar planet yet found around a Sun-like star - a planet with an \msini of only 14.21 $\pm$ 2.91 Earth masses in an extremely short period orbit (P=2.808 days) around $\rho^{1}$ Cancri, a planetary system which already has three known planets. Velocities taken from late 2003-2004 at McDonald Observatory with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) revealed this inner planet at 0.04 AU. We estimate an inclination of the outer planet $\rho^{1}$ Cancri d, based upon {\it Hubble Space Telescope} Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) measurements. This inclination suggests an inner planet of only 17.7 $\pm$ 5.57 Earth masses, if coplanarity is assumed for the system.. Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letters | |||||||||
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