‘Goldilocks’ Planet Could Be Perfect Host For Life
The ‘Goldilocks’ planet is not too cold, it’s not too hot, it’s a perfect host for life. Or at least it could be. Astronomers say that it is the first time that they have found a planet besides our own, that sits in the “goldilocks” zone, meaning that it has the right conditions to host life.
“We had planets on both sides of the habitable zone — one too hot and one too cold — and now we have one in the middle that’s just right,” said Steven Vogt, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The Associated Press reports that the planet is the right distance from its star. It’s the right size, in terms of gravity. In fact, it’s just like earth. The planet is circling a red dwarf star called, Gliese 581, and is approximately 20 light years away from earth.
“Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet,” Vogt said. “The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common.”
The planet was discovered with the Keck telescope in Hawaii, and according to the Guardian, 5 other planets have been found circling Gliese 581.
