A decadelong hunt by an astronomer at UC Santa Cruz has yielded the discovery of a planet that could be the most Earth-like planet ever discovered -- and the best case yet for a habitable one, ending our cosmic loneliness.
The planet, called Gliese 581g, is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra, where it's sweater weather, not too windy, with scenic views of a white sky.
"It could be the Goldilocks planet, neither too hot nor too cold "... orbiting its star in a 'habitable zone,' " said Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz, who announced the news with Carnegie Institution colleague Paul Butler at a Wednesday news briefing at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which funded the work.
"It may well be like Earth, where you could walk around comfortably and look out at the stars," said Vogt, 60, of Aptos.
Scientists say there is no evidence that Gliese 581g holds oxygenated landscapes of green and blue that would support microbes, dinosaurs or some alien-looking pre-human. For life, there must be water, and there's no proof of that. Yet.
But Earth is unlikely to be some stupendous fluke that happened just once, said Vogt.
"Places like Earth may not be very special," he said.
Newly discovered planet may be habitable - San Jose Mercury News
The planet, called Gliese 581g, is located in prime real estate within the constellation Libra, where it's sweater weather, not too windy, with scenic views of a white sky.
"It could be the Goldilocks planet, neither too hot nor too cold "... orbiting its star in a 'habitable zone,' " said Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz, who announced the news with Carnegie Institution colleague Paul Butler at a Wednesday news briefing at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which funded the work.
"It may well be like Earth, where you could walk around comfortably and look out at the stars," said Vogt, 60, of Aptos.
Scientists say there is no evidence that Gliese 581g holds oxygenated landscapes of green and blue that would support microbes, dinosaurs or some alien-looking pre-human. For life, there must be water, and there's no proof of that. Yet.
But Earth is unlikely to be some stupendous fluke that happened just once, said Vogt.
"Places like Earth may not be very special," he said.
Newly discovered planet may be habitable - San Jose Mercury News