Key Takeaways:
- Wolf 1069 b, a newly discovered exoplanet, orbits a red dwarf star just 31 light-years from Earth, potentially making it a rocky world within the star’s habitable zone.
- The planet’s unique characteristics include its relatively short orbital period, tidal locking to its parent star, and the possibility of maintaining habitable conditions on its dayside.
- The discovery of Wolf 1069 b underscores the collaborative efforts of a global team of astronomers and the instrumental role of advanced technology like the CARMENES instrument.
- Despite being the sixth closest Earth-mass habitable zone exoplanet, current astronomical technologies cannot yet search for potential biosignatures, highlighting the need for continued technological advancements.
- Ongoing research aims to further understand Wolf 1069 b’s system and potentially characterize its atmosphere, paving the way for future discoveries and possibly the detection of extraterrestrial life.
Although more than 5,200 exoplanets have been discovered by astronomers, fewer than 200 are rocky. Hence, the identification of a new terrestrial exoplanet always generates excitement.
In a recent study, a group of 50 astronomers from various parts of the world have verified the existence of exoplanet Wolf 1069 b. This exoplanet orbits a red dwarf star named Wolf 1069, located just 31 light-years away from Earth. What adds to the fascination of this discovery is the possibility that Wolf 1069 b may be a rocky planet, with a mass approximately 1.26 times that of Earth and a size around 1.08 times Earth’s.
An intriguing aspect of Wolf 1069 b is its location within the habitable zone of its star, suggesting the potential presence of liquid water on its surface.
Diana Kossakowski, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany and the lead author of the new study, stated, “Upon analyzing the data from the star Wolf 1069, we detected a distinct, low-amplitude signal indicating the presence of a planet with a mass similar to Earth’s. It orbits the star every 15.6 days at a distance equivalent to approximately one-fifteenth of the distance between the Earth and the sun.”
For comparison, Mercury, the closest planet to our sun, completes an orbit in 88 days, resulting in surface temperatures soaring as high as 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius).
Despite its considerably shorter orbital period of 15.6 days, Wolf 1069 b falls within the habitable zone of its star. This is because its star is a red dwarf, significantly smaller than our sun, and Wolf 1069 b receives roughly 65% of the solar radiation that Earth receives. Consequently, it maintains relatively favorable surface temperatures ranging from minus 139.27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 95.15 degrees Celsius) to 55.13 degrees Fahrenheit (12.85 degrees Celsius), with an average of minus 40.25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40.14 degrees Celsius).
One distinctive characteristic of Wolf 1069 b is its tidal locking to its parent star, resulting in one side permanently facing daylight while the opposite side remains in darkness. Although this means Wolf 1069 b lacks the day-night cycle of Earth, researchers speculate that its dayside could still harbor habitable conditions.
The remarkable discovery of Wolf 1069 b was facilitated by the CARMENES (Calar Alto High-Resolution Search for M Dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and Optical Échelle Spectrographs) instrument installed on the 11.5-foot (3.5-meter) telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain.
Diana Kossakowski emphasized the remarkable collaborative effort behind the discovery, stating, “As the primary author, I see myself as the ‘project manager’ of this planet discovery, bringing together brilliant minds in the field to achieve something extraordinary. Astronomy thrives on collaboration, with many individuals sharing the common goal of exploring more fascinating planets beyond our solar system.”
CARMENES employs two separate spectrographs operating in the visual and near-infrared spectra to observe astronomical objects. The instrument identified Wolf 1069 b using the radial velocity method, which detects subtle movements in a star’s position induced by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet.
At a mere 31 light-years from Earth, Wolf 1069 b now ranks as the sixth closest Earth-mass exoplanet within the habitable zone. Other such planets, in order of increasing distance, include Proxima Centauri b, GJ 1061 d, Teegarden’s Star c, and GJ 1002 b and c. Researchers also highlight that global climate models identify Wolf 1069 b as one of the few exoplanets potentially harboring biosignatures, although current astronomical technologies cannot yet conduct such searches.
Diana Kossakowski anticipates further advancements in research technologies, stating, “We may have to wait another decade for this capability, but it’s crucial that we continue to enhance our facilities, particularly considering that many of the closest potentially habitable worlds are identified solely through the radial velocity method.”
In the meantime, ongoing studies include a detailed examination of preliminary results from 3D global climate models and the incorporation of new radial velocity data to enhance understanding of the Wolf 1069 system.
Kossakowski emphasizes the importance of characterizing the atmospheres of RV-only detected planets, like Wolf 1069 b, as many intriguing worlds closer to us fall into this category. She suggests that newer technologies in the coming decades may enable such characterizations, hinting at the possibility of discovering life on another planet within our lifetimes.
