(D. Kossakowski et al. / arXiv, 2023 https://bit.ly/3HaxsP4)
Astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have discovered a potentially habitable exoplanet orbiting an inactive red dwarf close to the Sun.
The team led by Diana Kossakowski found that Wolf 1069b is more massive than Earth and falls within the conservative habitable zone.
Right now, the list of confirmed discoveries of exoplanets includes more than 5000 objects.
However, only about 50 of them are in the habitable zone of their star systems, where liquid water can exist on the surface of the planet.
Only 20 of them are considered similar in physical properties to the Earth, having radii of 0.8-1.6 Earth radii or minimum masses of 0.5-3 Earth masses.
It’s worth mentioning that if a planet is in the habitable zone, that does not immediately make it potentially habitable, it is just of interest for further research.
It is also necessary to find an atmosphere near the object and evaluate its parameters, as well as determine the level of activity of the parent star.
Thus, it is important not only to look for exoplanets in the habitable zone, but also to study their properties and interactions with their stars.
WOLF 1069b
Now, Kossakowski’s team announced the discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet in the habitable zone of the red dwarf Wolf 1069.
The candidate, named Wolf 169bm is located at a distance of 31.31 light-years from the Sun.
The exoplanet was found using the radial velocity method according to the CARMENES spectrograph, and photometric data from several ground-based telescopes.
Wolf 1069 belongs to the spectral class M5.0V, has a mass of 0.167 solar masses and is characterized by low activity.
Wolf 1069b orbits around it with a period of 15.6 days, which is located at an average distance of 0.0672 astronomical units from the star.
The exoplanet has a minimum mass of 1.36 Earth masses and falls into the conservative habitable zone, receiving a radiation flux of 0.652 of what Earth gets from the Sun.
Observational data allow us to exclude additional planets in the system with a mass greater than one Earth mass and an orbital period of less than 10 days.
Wolf 1069b has become the sixth Earth-like planet closest to the Sun in the conservative zone.
Also, despite the fact that the newly discovered planet is not transiting, observations will continue.
Sources:
- arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.02477
- Astrobiology News: https://astrobiology.com/2023/01/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.html
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