There are over 300 known extra solar planets circling a number of nearby stars. Scientists, using multiple methods, have recently discovered a new earth like planet. A group of European astronomers discovered a planet estimated to be only twice the mass of Earth. It is by far the smallest world yet discovered orbiting a faraway star. Their data was presented in an article submitted to the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. "The holy grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone,'” said lead author Michel Mayor of the Geneva Observatory. Though this planet does not meet such requirements, it does give astronomers confidence that their techniques will soon pay off.
The newest planet, Gliese 581e, to be discovered is the fourth one found circling its parent star. A member of the discovery team, Xavier Bonfils of the Grenoble Observatory, believes that with a minimum mass of 1.9 Earths the planet is most likely a rocky world like our own. But as the innermost planet in the system it is extremely close to its star, completing each orbit in just over 3 days. Its surface is therefore far too hot to sustain liquid water or life as we know it. The red dwarf star, Gliese 581, has been a star of interest for astronomers for some time now. This particular star has a planet that is with in the habitual zone.
The astronomers used the European Southern Observatory's 3.6 meter telescope at La Silla, Chile. The two planets, Gliese 581d and Gliese 581e, were studied using HARPS spectrograph. Built specifically to search for exoplanets HARPS, through the radial velocity method, can detect the miniscule shifts in a star's spectrum as it rocks back and forth to the tug of an orbiting planet. HARPS is so sensitive, in fact, that it can register a star's motion towards the Earth or away from it, even if it is as slow as 1 meter per second -- about the speed of a leisurely stroll. It is thanks to this remarkable sensitivity that the spectrograph was able to discover a planet as small as Gliese 581e.
The newest planet, Gliese 581e, to be discovered is the fourth one found circling its parent star. A member of the discovery team, Xavier Bonfils of the Grenoble Observatory, believes that with a minimum mass of 1.9 Earths the planet is most likely a rocky world like our own. But as the innermost planet in the system it is extremely close to its star, completing each orbit in just over 3 days. Its surface is therefore far too hot to sustain liquid water or life as we know it. The red dwarf star, Gliese 581, has been a star of interest for astronomers for some time now. This particular star has a planet that is with in the habitual zone.
The astronomers used the European Southern Observatory's 3.6 meter telescope at La Silla, Chile. The two planets, Gliese 581d and Gliese 581e, were studied using HARPS spectrograph. Built specifically to search for exoplanets HARPS, through the radial velocity method, can detect the miniscule shifts in a star's spectrum as it rocks back and forth to the tug of an orbiting planet. HARPS is so sensitive, in fact, that it can register a star's motion towards the Earth or away from it, even if it is as slow as 1 meter per second -- about the speed of a leisurely stroll. It is thanks to this remarkable sensitivity that the spectrograph was able to discover a planet as small as Gliese 581e.Click to enlarge > Credit: ESO
Gliese 581e’s larger neighbor, the planet Gliese 581d, whose minimum mass is seven times that of the Earth, is believed to be a good candidate for sustaining life. Since it is located in the habitable zone, a member of the team said, it "could even be covered by a large and deep ocean – it is the first serious 'water world' candidate."
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