LONDON: Scientists claim
to have discovered a potentially habitable planet which has an
environment much similar to that of Earth and may contain water and even
life.
The exoplanet, called Gliese 581g, is located around 123 trillion miles away from Earth and orbits a star at a distance that places it squarely in the habitable or the Goldilocks zone, the scientists said.
The research, published in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal, suggests that the planet could contain liquid water on its surface, meaning it tops the league of planets and moons rated as being most like Earth, they said.
"Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet said Vogt," said lead researcher Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California.
"The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common," Vogt said. The new findings are based on 11 years of observations of the nearby red dwarf star Gliese 581. The team reported the discovery of two new planets around Gliese 581.
This brings the total number of known planets around this star to six, the most yet discovered in a planetary system outside of our own. Like our solar system, the planets around Gliese 581 have nearlycircular orbits, the team said.
It found that Gliese 581g has a mass three to four time the Earth's and orbits its star in just under 37 days. Its mass indicates that it is probably a rocky planet with a definite surface and enough gravity to hold on to an atmosphere, they said. PTI
The exoplanet, called Gliese 581g, is located around 123 trillion miles away from Earth and orbits a star at a distance that places it squarely in the habitable or the Goldilocks zone, the scientists said.
The research, published in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal, suggests that the planet could contain liquid water on its surface, meaning it tops the league of planets and moons rated as being most like Earth, they said.
"Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet said Vogt," said lead researcher Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California.
"The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common," Vogt said. The new findings are based on 11 years of observations of the nearby red dwarf star Gliese 581. The team reported the discovery of two new planets around Gliese 581.
This brings the total number of known planets around this star to six, the most yet discovered in a planetary system outside of our own. Like our solar system, the planets around Gliese 581 have nearlycircular orbits, the team said.
It found that Gliese 581g has a mass three to four time the Earth's and orbits its star in just under 37 days. Its mass indicates that it is probably a rocky planet with a definite surface and enough gravity to hold on to an atmosphere, they said. PTI
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