Discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb

Date: January 25, 2006 • Location: Rome, Italy

Three independent observing campaigns announced the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, a super-Earth 21,500 ± 3,300 light-years away from Earth near the center of the Milky Way.

OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb is a super-Earth ice exoplanet orbiting OGLE-2005-BLG-390L, a star 21,500 ± 3,300 light-years from Earth near the center of the Milky Way, making it one of the most distant planets known. On January 25, 2006, Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork/Robotic Telescope Network (PLANET/Robonet), Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), and Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) made a joint announcement of the discovery. The planet does not appear to meet conditions presumed necessary to support life.