Planet Discovery : Gliese 581d Known as The Other Earth

At April 2007, scientists from the University of Stéphane Udry of Geneva's Observatory in Switzerland was announced a discovery of a Red dwarf star who later called Gliese 581. In the same months, they found several planets around it. One of it was allegedly a planet that lies in the habitable zone called Gliese 581d. Habitable zone is areas where the water and the climate are estimated suitable to support life.

At first, the possible planet located in habitable zone is Gliese 581c expected, but after calculated in further research seems that Gliese 581c is not possible to support life because it estimated to have an intense greenhouse effect that is to hot to support life. Instead, Gliese 581d is estimated having the right distance and climate that is possible lies in the habitable zone.

Gliese 581d has a mass about 8 times of Earth. In addition to call this planet Gliese 581d is also known as Super - Earth, because it expected can support life like the earth and has a greater mass of the earth. How can scientists predict that the planet Gliese 581d seems able to support life and may even have a life? Since the development of research on the habitable zone, the researchers tried to estimate and calculate distance, size, mineral content and an appropriate climate to support life’s like earth.

Theoretically like Earth in our solar system that has the sun as a star. If the distance of the earth a little closer to the sun as the planet venus and mercury, then at least the earth will become warmer and closer to the sun, the earth will not be able to support life. Conversely, if the earth tend to be far from the sun as Neptune or Uranus, then the state of the earth will be cooler and will not be able to support life. That is why due to the distance of the earth as currently able to support life in it. Based on this theory scientists triggered interest to find other extrasolar planets that have conditions such as earth, which is located in the habitable zone.

Currently Gliese 581d is the only newly discovered planet that is expected seem to be able to support life because it was in habitable zone. In addition, Gliese 581d has an estimated distance closest to the earth through its parent star Gliese 581, have a distance of 20.3 light years from Earth. Research on the planet continues. The scientists also still trying to find the other extrasolar planets along with the continued development of better technology and science.