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Wolf 1069 Exoplanet System

Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone of a very low-mass star //

Wolf 1069 is a real M5.0V red dwarf 31.2 light years from Earth. At 0.167 solar masses and 0.181 solar radii, the star lies towards the smaller end of our stellar neighbourhood. Its surface temperature is estimated around 3158 K with 0.29% of the Sun's luminosity. Wolf 1069 rotates very slowly on its axis every 150–170 days and is thought to be fairly quiet in terms of stellar activity.

The planet Wolf 1069 b was discovered around the habitable zone of Wolf 1069 in early 2023. It has a lower mass limit of 1.26 Earth masses and orbits every 15.6 days. This makes it the sixth closest Earth-mass exoplanet in the conservative habitable zone, after Proxima Centauri b, GJ 1061 d, Teegarden’s Star c, and GJ 1002 b and c. So far, it seems to be the sole planet in the system, with scientists ruling out the existence of other Earth-mass planets with a <10 day orbital period. Wolf 1069 b does not transit its star from our perspective and so atmospheric studies cannot be directly conducted, but it is nonetheless a promising target for future climate models and planet formation theories.

For any unknowns and knowledge gaps, I've incorporated some fictional elements and envisioned the following characteristics:

• I've designed Wolf 1069 b as a tidally-locked cool lacustrine terra with an average temperature of around -25 °C.
  
• The planet possesses a fairly substantial atmosphere and a small amount of water, which is largely locked as ice on the night side.
  
• Temperatures can climb up to 80 °C on the day side, allowing liquid water lakes and a significant northern ocean. The large temperature gradient drives intense winds as the atmosphere seeks to achieve equilibrium.
  
• Wolf 1069 b is dominated by sweeping dunes and towering rocky outcrops along the mid-latitudes, but most are weathered by the relentless climate. Instead, the highest elevations on the planet consist of tremendous icy crags enveloped in perpetual darkness.

GJ 1253, Ci 20 1209, G 230-40, LFT 1550, LHS 3549, LSPM J2026+5834, LTT 15977, NLTT 49289, PLX 4870.01, PM J20260+5834, Wolf 1069, TIC 352617553, 2MASS J20260528+5834224

• Kossakowski, D., Kürster, M., Trifonov, T., Henning, T., Kemmer, J., Caballero, J.A., Burn, R., Sabotta, S., Crouse, J.S., Fauchez, T.J. and Nagel, E., 2023. 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. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 670, p.A84.
  
• Planet wolf 1069 b (2023) The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia - Wolf 1069 b. Available at: http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/wolf_1069_b/ (Accessed: April 12, 2023).