Liquid-water surface habitability of Gliese 12 b

Determine whether the exoplanet Gliese 12 b can maintain surface temperatures suitable for liquid water, given its measured insolation and orbital properties around the M4V star Gliese 12.

Background

Gliese 12 b is an Earth-sized (approximately 1.0 Earth radii) temperate planet orbiting the nearby M4V star Gliese 12 with a period of 12.76144 days and an insolation of about 1.6 times that of Earth. Whether planets around M dwarfs can sustain conditions amenable to liquid water depends sensitively on their atmospheric composition, circulation, and energy balance.

The authors highlight that assessing Gliese 12 b’s ability to maintain liquid water temperatures is a key open question for evaluating its potential habitability, especially given its insolation between Earth and Venus and the broader uncertainties about atmospheric retention and climate processes around M-dwarf planets.