GJ 1061

GJ 1061 is a red dwarf star located 12 light-years (3.7 parsecs) from Earth in the southern constellation of Horologium. Though it is close by, it appears very dim because it only has an apparent visual magnitude of about 13. This means you need at least a moderately-sized telescope to see it.

This star is very small and not very bright, with only about 12.5% of the Sun's mass and just 0.2% of its luminous power. It is very old, at least 7 billion years, and turns very slowly, taking about 125 days to complete one rotation. Interestingly, it does not show any extra heat that we would expect from dust around it, as there is no infrared excess.

Scientists have discovered three exoplanets orbiting GJ 1061. These planets are of great interest because they orbit within the area where conditions might be right for liquid water, making them possible candidates for studying habitability around small stars.

History of observations

The movement of the star GJ 1061 through space has been tracked since 1974. At first, scientists thought it was much farther away than it really is. In 1997, a group called RECONS measured the distance more accurately and found that GJ 1061 is one of the 20 closest star systems to our Sun. The team also believed that many more similar stars might be waiting to be discovered close to us.

Planetary system

In 2019, scientists found three planets orbiting the star GJ 1061. These planets were discovered using a special method called the radial velocity method. All three planets are smaller than twice the size of Earth and are likely made of rock.

Two of these planets, GJ 1061 c and GJ 1061 d, are in areas where liquid water might exist. This makes them interesting for studying if they could support life. GJ 1061 is a calm star that doesn’t flare up, which helps these planets keep their atmospheres if they have them.

GJ 1061 c

GJ 1061 c is a planet about 81% bigger than Earth. It gets 35% more energy from its star than Earth does. This planet orbits very close to its star, completing one orbit every 6.7 days.

GJ 1061 d

GJ 1061 d is about 67% bigger than Earth and gets 40% less energy from its star than Earth does. It orbits its star every 13 days. Because it is so close to its star, it might always show one face to the star, like how the Moon always shows the same face to Earth.