[2] Located at a projected distance of about 100 AU from its companion star, giving it an orbital period of perhaps about 1,200 years, it is believed to be several times more massive than Jupiter.
As of 2006, the International Astronomical Union Working Group on Extrasolar Planets described GQ Lupi b as a "possible planetary-mass companion to a young star.
[9] Emission by hydrogen in the near-infrared (paschen beta) was first detected in 2007 with the Very Large Telescope (VLT).
[12] An analysis of additional VLT data showed a mutual inclination with the circumstellar disk of 84 ± 9°.
[13] A study from 2023 with additional VLT data found the emission line to be variable on timescales of several months to decades.