Size comparison of Gliese 581c with Earth and Neptune
(based on selected hypothetical modeled compositions)
Discovery[1]
Discovered by
Stéphane Udry et al.
Discovery site
La Silla Observatory
Discovery date
4 April 2007
24 April 2007 (announced)
Detection method
Radial velocity
Orbital characteristics[2]
Semi-major axis
0.074±0.001 AU
Eccentricity
0.087+0.150 −0.016
Orbital period (sidereal)
12.919+0.003 −0.002 d
Time of periastron
2454759.2 ± 0.1[3]
Argument of periastron
148.7°+71.5° −33.0°
Semi-amplitude
3.28+0.22 −0.12 m/s
Star
Gliese 581[4]
Physical characteristics[2]
Mass
≥5.652+0.386 −0.239M🜨
Gliese 581c/ˈɡliːzə/ (Gl 581c or GJ 581c) is an exoplanet orbiting within the Gliese 581 system. It is the second planet discovered in the system and the third in order from the star. With a mass at least 5.5 times that of the Earth, it is classified as a super-Earth (a category of planets with masses greater than Earth's up to ten Earth masses).
Gliese 581c gained interest from astronomers because it was reported to be the first potentially Earth-like planet in the habitable zone of its star, with a temperature right for liquid water on its surface, and, by extension, potentially capable of supporting extremophile forms of Earth-like life. However, further research casts doubt upon the planet's habitability. It is tidally locked (always presents the same face to the object it is orbiting) so if life had a chance to emerge, the best hope of survival would be in the "terminator zone".
In astronomical terms, the Gliese 581 system is relatively close to Earth, at 20.55 light-years (194 trillion kilometres; 121 trillion miles) in the direction of the constellation of Libra. This distance, along with the declination and right ascension coordinates, give its exact location in the Milky Way.
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Gliese581c /ˈɡliːzə/ (Gl 581c or GJ 581c) is an exoplanet orbiting within the Gliese 581 system. It is the second planet discovered in the system and...
orbits. In order of distance from the star, these are Gliese 581e, Gliese 581b, and Gliese581c. The letters represent the discovery order, with b being...
ejection. Gliese 581b does not transit. At the least, given that Gliese 581b orbits alongside two other planets (Gliese581c and e) and that Gliese 436 b...
(53 K). In 2007, a new, potentially habitable exoplanet, Gliese581c, was found, orbiting Gliese 581. The minimum mass estimated by its discoverers (a team...
2009-01-18. von Bloh, W.; et al. (2008). "Habitability of Super-Earths: Gliese581c and 581d". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. 3: 503–506...
the Gliese 581 planetary system. The smallest, Gliese 581e, is only about 1.9 Earth masses, but orbits very close to the star. Two others, Gliese581c and...
"Gliese 581 system has a somewhat checkered history of habitable planet claims," as two previously discovered planets in the same system, Gliese581c and...
capsule "A Message from Earth" will reach its destination on the planet Gliese581c. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is expected to leave the Solar System...
Orcus and Vanth Gliese581c, Gliese 581g, Gliese 581b, and Gliese 581e may be tidally locked to their parent star Gliese 581. Gliese 581d is almost certainly...
8 billion Gya): Formation of the Gliese 581 planetary system: Gliese581c, the first observed ocean planet and Gliese 581d, a super-Earth planet, possibly...
messages chosen by Bebo users, called A Message From Earth, toward planet Gliese581c. Sent on 9 October 2008, it will arrive in the spring of 2028. On June...
take place across Baghdad, Iraq, killing nearly 200 people. April 24 – Gliese581c, a potentially Earth-like extrasolar planet habitable for life, is discovered...
6 m telescope led to the discovery of extrasolar planets, including Gliese581c—one of the smallest planets seen outside the Solar System. The idea that...
they become a mixture of volatiles and gas like Neptune. The planet Gliese581c, with a mass 5.5–10.4 times the mass of Earth, attracted attention upon...
surfaces were therefore of much higher interest. The 2007 discovery of Gliese581c, the first super-Earth in the circumstellar habitable zone, created significant...
of hydrogen and helium in an animation of one model of the exoplanet Gliese581c. The term "gas dwarf" has also been used to refer to planets smaller...
surface. The Gliese 581 planetary system contains multiple planets that may be candidates for surface water, including Gliese581c, Gliese 581d, might...
exoplanets. In 2007, Mayor was one of 11 European scientists who discovered Gliese581c, the first extrasolar planet in a star's habitable zone, from the ESO...
Gliese 581e /ˈɡliːzə/ or Gl 581e is an exoplanet orbiting within the Gliese 581 system, located approximately 20.4 light-years away from Earth in the...
9.4 times the mass of Jupiter); the least massive confirmed planet is Gliese 581 e, which masses 0.007906 MJ or 2.51 M🜨. The longest period of any confirmed...
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