WISPIT 2 is a nearby young star with a multi-ringed disk which was recently confirmed to host a ~4.9 MJup gas giant planet embedded in a large (60 au) gap at a radial separation of 57 au from the host star. We confirm and characterise a second, close-in planet in the WISPIT 2 system using a combination of new VLT/SPHERE H-band dual-polarisation imaging and VLTI/GRAVITY K-band interferometric observations of the WISPIT 2 system. The GRAVITY detection is consistent with a point-like source while its extracted K-band spectrum shows CO band-head absorption at 2.3 microns and a continuum shape consistent with a young giant planet. From the GRAVITY data we extract a medium resolution K-band spectrum of the companion and fit atmospheric model grids using the species tool with nested sampling to constrain its effective temperature, radius, and luminosity. We infer Teff of 1500-2600 K, a radius of 0.91-2.2 RJup, and a luminosity of (-3.47)-(-3.63). Comparison with evolutionary tracks implies a mass range of 8-12 MJup, approximately twice as massive as the previously confirmed WISPIT 2b. The astrometry rules out a background source and marginally detects orbital motion of WISPIT 2c, which needs further follow-up observations for confirmation. WISPIT 2 now becomes an analogue to PDS 70, offering a second laboratory for studying the formation and early evolution of a multi-planet system within its natal disk.
@article{arxiv.2603.22085,
title = {Direct spectroscopic confirmation of the young embedded proto-planet WISPIT 2c},
author = {Chloe Lawlor and Richelle F. van Capelleveen and Guillaume Bourdarot and Christian Ginski and Matthew A. Kenworthy and Tomas Stolker and Laird Close and Alexander J. Bohn and Frank Eisenhauer and Paulo Garcia and Sebastian F. Hönig and Jens Kammerer and Laura Kreidberg and Sylvestre Lacour and Jean-Baptiste Le Bouquin and Eric Mamajek and Mathias Nowak and Thibaut Paumard and Christian Straubmeier and Nienke van der Marel and the exoGRAVITY Collaboration},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.22085},
year = {2026}
}