# 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. HST NICMOS IMAGING OF THE PLANETARY-MASS COMPANION TO THE YOUNG BROWN DWARF

Multiband (0.9Y1.6 m) images of the TW Hydrae association (TWA) brown dwarf 2MASSW J1207334 393254 (also known as 2M 1207) and its candidate planetary-mass companion (2M 1207b) were obtained on 2004 August 28 and 2005 April 26 with HST NICMOS. The images from these two epochs unequivocally confirm the two objects as a common proper motion pair (16.0 confidence). A new measurement of the proper motion of 2M 1207 implies a distance to the system of 59 7 pc and a projected separation of 46 5 AU. The NICMOS and previously published VLT photometry of 2M 1207b, extending overall from 0.9 to 3.8 m, are fully consistent with an object of a few Jupiter masses at the canonical age of a TWA member ( 8 Myr) based on evolutionary models of young giant planets. These observations provide information on the physical nature of 2M 1207b and unambiguously establish that the first direct image of a planetary-mass companion in orbit around a self-luminous body, other than our Sun, has been secured. Subject headinggs: planetary systems — stars: individual (2MASSW J1207334 393254) — stars: low-mass, brown dwarf