A long-period Jupiter-mass planet orbiting the nearby M dwarf GJ 849

We report precise Doppler measurements of GJ 849 (M3.5 V) that reveal the presence of a planet with a minimum mass of 0.82M(Jup) in a 5.16 yr orbit. At a = 2.35 AU, GJ 849b is the first Doppler-detected planet discovered around an M dwarf orbiting beyond 0.21 AU, and is only the second Jupiter-mass planet discovered around a star less massive than 0.5 M-.. This detection brings to four the number of M stars known to harbor planets. Based on the results of our survey of 1300 FGKM main-sequence stars we find that giant planets within 2.5 AU are similar to 3 times more common around GK stars than around M stars. Due to GJ 849' s proximity of 8.8 pc, the planet's angular separation is 0.27, making this system a prime target for high-resolution imaging using adaptive optics and future space-borne missions such as the Space Interferometry Mission PlanetQuest. We also find evidence of a linear trend in the velocity time series, which may be indicative of an additional planetary companion.