"An Earth-like planet spotted outside our solar system is the first found that could support liquid water and harbor life, scientists announced today."
"The new planet is about 50 percent bigger than Earth and about five times more massive. The new “super-Earth” is called Gliese 581 C, after its star, Gliese 581, a diminutive red dwarf star located 20.5 light-years away that is about one-third as massive as the Sun."
"Gliese 581 C is the smallest extrasolar planet, or “exoplanet,” discovered to date. It is located about 15 times closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun; one year on the planet is equal to 13 Earth days. Because red dwarfs, also known as M dwarfs, are about 50 times dimmer than the Sun and much cooler, their planets can orbit much closer to them while still remaining within their habitable zones, the spherical region around a star within which a planet’s temperature can sustain liquid water on its surface."
Almost two years I blogged about the discovery of an Extra-Solar Earth-like Planet. That was Gliese 876 d and it was 7x the mass of Earth and wasn't in the habitable zone of its star. It was almost exactly two years ago that I went to a lecture on discovering extra-solar planets. That's still one of the best talks I've been to.
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