Distant planet judged possibly habitable

Distant planet judged possibly habitable
In findings that if confirmed could stand as a landmark in history,
astronomers report finding the most Earth-like planet outside our
Solar System to date.
http://www.world-science.net

Distant planet judged possibly habitable

There are some details at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_581_c
including a link to the PDF of the paper.

One of the striking things is that it is only 20 light-years away.

Nice to see the planet-finding techniques gradually getting more
sensitive. If the trend continues, we'll continue to push the
envelope in terms of how small a planet we can find.

Although what really makes this one part of the "habitable zone" is
that it is orbiting a rather dim star. So it can be close to the star
(and thus easier to detect) while not getting super-hot like Mercury.

wrote:

In findings that if confirmed could stand as a landmark in history,

Probably not. The planet is almost certainly *not* habitable.
The energy/area it receives is about twice Earth's, which means
it probably can't have liquid water without experiencing
thermal runaway (as happened to Venus).

Paul