The “Goldilocks Planet,” whose name was dubbed by scientists for being just right in terms of habitability, was discovered orbiting a nearby star, a team of US astronomers announced.
Scientists from the University of California and the Carnegie Institution of Washington believe the planet, known as Gliese 581g, may have surface water and an atmosphere necessary to sustain life.
“Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 per cent,” said researcher Steven Vogt of the University of California in a press briefing. “I have almost no doubt about it.”
The planet, the sixth found orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581, is probably rocky, somewhat larger than Earth and with enough gravity to retain atmosphere.
It circles the star every 37 days, always presenting the same face to the star (like the moon to Earth), so half the planet has eternal day and the other is in constant darkness.
Gliese 581g is located 20 light years or 117.5 trillion miles from Earth. It was found during the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey, during an 11 year observation period of the star Gliese 581.
“This is really the first Goldilocks planet,” co-discoverer R. Paul Butler, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, said in a press briefing.
The astronomers said it may be the closest extra solar planet to Earth from the 374 found so far and the best candidate suitable for life.
“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,” said professor Vogt in a press release.
The team’s findings will be published in the Astrophysical Journal and posted online at arXiv.org
