Submission + - Study suggest water on distant planet (spacedaily.com)
Cosmic Lotus writes: Planet Gliese 581d is at the colder outer edge of the so-called just-right "Goldilocks zone" around its red dwarf star in which liquid water can be sustained.
Planet 581d, with a mass about six times that of Earth and twice its size, was initially thought to be too cold to have liquid water.
"This discovery is important because it's the first time climate modellers have proved that the planet is potentially habitable," institute researcher Robin Wordsworth said.
"The Gliese system is particularly exciting to us as it's very close to Earth, relatively speaking," he added. "So with future generations of telescopes, we'll be able to search for life on Gliese 581d directly."
Planet 581d, with a mass about six times that of Earth and twice its size, was initially thought to be too cold to have liquid water.
"This discovery is important because it's the first time climate modellers have proved that the planet is potentially habitable," institute researcher Robin Wordsworth said.
"The Gliese system is particularly exciting to us as it's very close to Earth, relatively speaking," he added. "So with future generations of telescopes, we'll be able to search for life on Gliese 581d directly."
