Space & Astronomy

Nearby planet Wolf 1061c may be habitable

By T.K. Randall
January 20, 2017

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Originally discovered by Stephen Kane from San Francisco State University, Wolf 1061c appears to be situated within its star's habitable zone - a region in which the temperature is just right for liquid water to exist on its surface.

"The Wolf 1061 system is important because it is so close and that gives other opportunities to do follow-up studies to see if it does indeed have life," said Kane.The planet had initially seemed to be too close to its star, suggesting that it would be too hot to support life, but its orbit is now thought to be so chaotic that it is likely to experience regular cold periods that could help to make the conditions there more appealing.

"A critical component of exoplanetary studies is an exhaustive characterisation of the host star, from which the planetary properties are frequently derived," Kane and his team wrote.

"Of particular value are the radius, temperature, and luminosity, which are key stellar parameters for studies of transit and habitability science."

Source: Huffington Post

Tags: Wolf 1061c, Exoplanet