Magnitude 13.03 Apparent magnitude (V) 13.03 | Constellation Horologium | |
Similar DX Cancri, Struve 2398, Lacaille 9352, LHS 292, SCR 1845‑6357 | ||
Gliese 1061 is a type of star known as a red dwarf, located approximately 12 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Horologium. Even though it is a relatively nearby it has an apparent visual magnitude of about 13 so it can only be seen with at least a moderately-sized telescope.
The proper motion of Gliese 1061 has been known since 1974, but it was estimated to be further away: approximately 25 light years distant based upon an estimated parallax of 0.130″. Its distance was only accurately determined in 1997 by the RECONS team. At that time it was the 20th nearest star system to the Sun. The discovery team noted that many more stars such as this are likely to be discovered nearby.
This star is a very small, dim, red dwarf, close to the lower mass limit for a star. It has an estimated mass of about 11.3% of the Sun and is only 0.1% as luminous. The star has been examined for the presence of an astrometric companion, but none has been detected. Nor does it display a significant infrared excess due to circumstellar dust.