The exoplanet was found by using the radial velocity method, from radial-velocity measurements via observation of Doppler shifts in the spectrum of the planet's parent star.

[3][4] Gliese 667 Cc is a super-Earth, an exoplanet with a mass and radius greater than that of Earth, but smaller than that of the giant planets Uranus and Neptune.

It is known to have a system of two planets: claims have been made for up to seven, but these may be in error due to failure to account for correlated noise in the radial velocity data.

Based on black body temperature calculation, Gliese 667 Cc should absorb a similar, but slightly higher, amount of overall electromagnetic radiation than Earth, making it a little warmer (277.4 K [4.3 °C; 39.6 °F]) and consequently placing it slightly closer to the "hot" inner edge of the habitable zone than Earth (254.3 K [−18.8 °C; −1.9 °F]).

[13] Given that Gliese 667 Cc orbits a star of mass 0.31 M☉, its chances of habitability may be considerably smaller than estimates based purely on how Earth-like the planet is.

Additionally, a much larger portion of the planet may be habitable if it supports a thick enough atmosphere to transfer heat to the side facing away from the star.

[16] The announcement of a refereed journal report came on 2 February 2012 by researchers at the University of Göttingen and the Carnegie Institution for Science and backing up the ESO HARPS group discovery.