Gliese 581 c

I’ve always been fascinated by life outside of Earth. I’m a big sci-fi fan such as Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars and such. Well recently there’s news that scientist found a planet habitable similar to Earth.

If it is true, is the not so distant future, probably not during my time, human can start colonising other planets. As we all know, Earth is heavily polluted and nearly drained of its resources, and we need an alternative habitable planet in case Earth finally goes ‘crap’.

Well the planet is called Gliese 581 c

The newfound planet is located at the “Goldilocks” distance” not too close and not too far from its star to keep water on its surface from freezing or vaporizing away.

And while astronomers are not yet able to look for signs of biology on the planet, the discovery is a milestone in planet detection and the search for extraterrestrial life, one with the potential to profoundly change our outlook on the universe.

The goal is to find life on a planet like the earth around a star like the sun. This is a step in that direction

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.

Smallest extrasolar planet

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.

Because it lies within its star’s habitable zone and is relatively close to Earth, Gliese 581 C could be a very important target for future space missions dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life

Two other planets are known to inhabit the red dwarf system. One is a 15 Earth-mass “hot-Jupiter” gas planet discovered by the same team two years ago, which orbits even closer to its star than does Gliese 581 C. Another is an 8 Earth-mass planet discovered at the same time as Gliese 581 C, but which lies outside its star’s habitable zone.

Possible waterworld

Computer models predict Gliese 581 C is either a rocky planet like Earth or a waterworld covered entirely by oceans. It is estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius [32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit], and water would thus be liquid

The scientists discovered the new world using the HARP instrument on the European Southern Observatory 3.6 meter telescope in La Sille, Chile. They employed the so-called radial velocity, or “wobble” technique, in which the size and mass of a planet are determined based on small perturbations it induces in its parent star’s orbit via gravity.

This is indeed exciting times. I apolgise for the technical jargons. Just do a google if you’re ‘lost’