Wolf 1069 b

Last updated
Wolf 1069 b
Discovery
Discovered by Kossakowski et al. [1]
Discovery dateJanuary 2020 [1]
Radial velocity [2] [3]
Designations
LHS 3549 b, NLTT 49289 b, GJ 1253 b [4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
0.0672±0.0014  AU
15.564±0.015  d
Star Wolf 1069
Physical characteristics [1]
1.08  R🜨
Mass 1.26±0.21  M🜨
Temperature 250.1+6.6
−6.5  K (−23+6.6
−6.5  °C )

    Wolf 1069 b is an Earth-sized planet orbiting the red dwarf star Wolf 1069. Being located in the habitable zone of its star, Wolf 1069 b is considered a potentially habitable planet, as well as the sixth-closest Earth-mass planet orbiting within its star's habitable zone. [5] The minimum mass of the planet, as measured by the radial velocity method, is 1.26 ME, while its radius is estimated at 1.08 R🜨. [1] The equilibrium temperature of Wolf 1069 b is -23 °C. [2] [3]

    Contents

    Characteristics

    Located about 9.6 parsecs (31 ly) from Earth, it is one of the closest known exoplanets. [1] The minimum mass of Wolf 1069 b is measured at 1.26±0.21  M🜨 — very similar to that of Earth. [1] Its radius is estimated at 1.08 R🜨 according to mass-radius relationships.

    The planet takes about 16 days to fully orbit Wolf 1069, and is located at an average distance of 0.0672 astronomical units (10,050,000 km) from it, which makes it located in its star's habitable zone. [1]

    Wolf 1069 b was discovered using radial velocity data from the CARMENES spectrograph at the Calar Alto Observatory, Spain. [5] [6] Its discovery was announced in January 2023, in the journal Astronomy & Astrophyics. [5] [7]

    Habitability

    Wolf 1069 b is considered a potentially habitable planet, as it orbits in the conservative habitable zone of its star (located between 0.056 and 0.111 astronomical units), in addition to having a mass similar to that of Earth. [1] It is very likely that Wolf 1069 b has a similar composition to Earth (32.5% of iron and 67.5% of silicate), [1] in addition to probably having liquid water on its surface. [5] Located 31 light-years away, it is the sixth-closest Earth-mass planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its host star— only Gliese 1002 b and c, Gliese 1061 b, Teegarden b and Proxima Centauri b are closer. [5] Its equilibrium temperature is calculated at 250 K (−23 °C), and it receives an incident flux from its star equivalent to 65% of what the Earth receives from the Sun. [1] [3]

    Despite being considered potentially habitable, the short distance from its star causes Wolf 1069 b to be tidally locked, meaning one side of the planet is always facing its star, while the other is always opposite it. [5] [6] Because it is tidally locked, Wolf 1069 b does not have a day/night cycle like Earth, meaning that one side of the planet is in an eternal day while the other side is in an eternal night. [5] [6]

    Host star

    Wolf 1069 is a red dwarf that is located 31 light-years from Earth in the northern constellation Cygnus. [5] [7] The star has a slow rotation period, rotating on its own axis every 170 days, [1] while the Sun takes 25 days to complete one rotation. [8] Wolf 1069 is much smaller, cooler and less massive than the Sun, having a mass of 0.167 M☉, a surface temperature of 3,158 K (2,885 °C), and a radius of 0.18 R☉, which makes it one of the smallest stars known. [1] It was discovered in 1920 by Max Wolf. [1]

    See also

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    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Kossakowski, D.; Kürster, M.; Trifonov, T.; Henning, Th; Kemmer, J.; Caballero, J. A.; Burn, R.; Sabotta, S.; Crouse, J. S.; Fauchez, T. J.; Nagel, E.; Kaminski, A.; Herrero, E.; Rodríguez, E.; González-Álvarez, E. (2023-02-01). "The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs - Wolf 1069 b: Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of a nearby, very low-mass star". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 670: A84. arXiv: 2301.02477 . doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202245322. ISSN   0004-6361.
    2. 1 2 Martin, Pierre-Yves (2023). "Planet Wolf 1069 b". exoplanet.eu. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
    3. 1 2 3 "Wolf 1069 | NASA Exoplanet Archive". exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
    4. ↑ "⬤ Exoplanet Gliese 1253 b". Stellar Catalog. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Anderson, Natali (2023-02-08). "Astronomers Discover Earth-Mass Exoplanet in Habitable Zone of Wolf 1069". Sci.News: Breaking Science News. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
    6. 1 2 3 Tognetti, Laurence (February 3, 2023). "Astronomers discover potential habitable exoplanet only 31 light-years from Earth". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
    7. 1 2 Carter, Jamie. "Found: An Earth-Mass Planet That's Potentially Habitable And Just 31 Light-Years Away". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
    8. ↑ "Sun Fact Sheet". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
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