GJ 1061 is a small, quiet red dwarf in Horologium with three known planets, two of them in the zone where liquid water could exist.
At a glance
| type | red dwarf (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 12 light-years (3.67 pc) |
| its light left it | 12 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.0016 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.16 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 2,950 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About GJ 1061
GJ 1061 is a red dwarf with a small fraction of the Sun’s mass, too faint for the naked eye. It was recognised as one of the Sun’s near neighbours only once its distance was measured by a survey of nearby southern stars, a reminder that red dwarfs can hide in plain sight.
It hosts three planets, each at least about the mass of the Earth, found from the star’s wobble. They orbit very close in, but the star is so dim that the outer two lie in the zone where a rocky planet could hold liquid water on its surface. The star appears to be calm, without frequent strong flares, which improves their prospects.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and three planets circle a dim red disc on their measured orbits; press O to draw them. From Earth, in HUMAN EYE, nothing is visible in Horologium.
Measured or modelled
The planets’ masses are lower limits, and whether any has an atmosphere is unknown.
Questions
How many planets does GJ 1061 have?
Three known planets. The star is 12 light-years (3.67 pc) away.