Lalande 21185 and a possible extra-solar system

The closest extrasolar planetary system could be made by the planets of the dim red dwarf star known as Lalande 21185: only 8 LY distant! This star is too faint to be seen by the naked eye and its planets have never been imaged directly but their presence is inferred by a long series of telescopic observations, tracking the star as it wiggles and wobbles in mutual gravitational response to the masses of its orbiting planets. University of Pitsburgh astronomer George Gatewood recently announced that much of Lalande 21185's wobble is most likely due to an unseen planet with approximately 90% of the mass of Jupiter and an orbital period of 5.8 years. His work also indicates that a second and possibly third planet of similar mass could well be present in the system.