* Astronomy

Title: The Pan-Pacific Planet Search. I. A Giant Planet Orbiting 7 CMa
Authors: R.A. Wittenmyer, M. Endl, L. Wang, J.A. Johnson, C.G. Tinney, S.J. O'Toole

We introduce the Pan-Pacific Planet Search, a survey of 170 metal-rich Southern hemisphere subgiants using the 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope. We report the first discovery from this program, a giant planet orbiting 7 CMa (HD 47205) with a period of 763±17 days, eccentricity e=0.14±0.06, and m sin i=2.6±0.6 Jupiter masses. The host star is a K giant with a mass of 1.5±0.3 solar masses and metallicity [Fe/H]=0.21±0.10. The mass and period of 7 CMa b are typical of planets which have been found to orbit intermediate-mass stars (M*>1.3 solar masses). Hipparcos photometry shows this star to be stable to 0.0004 mag on the radial-velocity period, giving confidence that this signal can be attributed to reflex motion caused by an orbiting planet.

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