| Extrasolar planet | List of extrasolar planets | |
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Parent star | ||
| Star | Gliese 581 | |
| Constellation | Libra | |
| Right ascension | (α) | 15h 19m 26s |
| Declination | (δ) | −07° 43′ 20″ |
| Apparent magnitude | (mV) | 10.55 |
| Distance | 20.3 ± 0.3 ly (6.2 ± 0.1 pc) |
|
| Spectral type | M3V | |
| Orbital elements | ||
| Semimajor axis | (a) | 0.22[1] AU (33 Gm) |
| 35 mas | ||
| Periastron | (q) | 0.14 AU (21 Gm) |
| Apastron | (Q) | 0.30 AU (49 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | (e) | 0.38 ± 0.09[1] |
| Orbital period | (P) | 66.80 ± 0.14[1] d (0.1829 y) |
| Inclination | (i) | ≥30[1]° |
| Argument of periastron |
(ω) | −33 ± 15[1]° |
| Time of periastron | (T0) | 2,454,603.0 ± 2.2[1] JD |
| Physical characteristics | ||
| Minimum mass | (m sin i) | 7.09[1] M⊕ |
| Discovery information | ||
| Discovery date | 24 April 2007 | |
| Discoverer(s) | Udry et al. | |
| Detection method | Radial velocity | |
| Discovery site | La Silla Observatory, Chile | |
| Discovery status | Published[2] | |
| Database references | ||
| Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia |
data | |
| SIMBAD | data | |
Gliese 581 d (pronounced /ˈɡliːzə/) or Gl 581 d is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star Gliese 581 approximately 20 light-years away in the constellation of Libra. Because of its mass, nearly 8 times that of Earth, the planet is classified as a super-Earth. In late April 2009, new observations by the original discovery team concluded that the planet is within the habitable zone where liquid water and, therefore, life could exist.
Contents |
Discovery
The planet was discovered by the team of Stéphane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland using the HARPS instrument on the European Southern Observatory 3.6 meter telescope in La Silla, Chile on 24 April 2007. Udry's team employed the radial velocity technique, in which the size and mass of a planet are determined based on the small perturbations it induces in its parent star’s orbit via gravity.[2]
Dynamical simulations of the Gliese 581 system assuming that the orbits of the three planets are coplanar show that the system becomes unstable if the masses of the planets exceed 1.6 – 2 times the minimum values. The upper mass limit for Gliese 581 d is 13.8 Earth masses.[1]
Climate and habitability
It was originally thought that Gliese 581 d orbits outside the theoretical habitable zone of its star. Further studies released in April 2009 confirmed that the planet is within the habitable zone where liquid water could exist. According to Stephan Udry, "It could be covered by a 'large and deep ocean'; it is the first serious Ocean planet candidate."[3] Gliese 581 d is probably too massive to be made only of rocky material, but we can speculate that it is an icy planet that has migrated closer to the star."[4][5] Scientists originally believed that Gliese 581 d would be too cold for liquid water to exist, and therefore could not support life in forms as existing on Earth. However, since Earth's temperature would be about -18°C[6] without any greenhouse gases, and due to a theorized greenhouse effect of Gliese 581 d, research now suggests that atmospheric conditions on the planet could create temperatures at which liquid water can exist, and therefore the planet may be capable of supporting life.[7][8][9]
On 21 April 2009, ESO announced, together with the discovery of Gliese 581 e, that they had refined the models of Gliese 581 d's orbit, discovering it lay well within the habitable zone.[1][10] Calculations by Barnes et al. suggest, however, that tidal heating is too low to keep plate tectonics active on the planet, unless radiogenic heating is somewhat higher than expected.[11]
Messages from Earth
In October 2008, members of the networking website Bebo beamed A Message From Earth, a high-power transmission at Gliese 581, using the RT-70 radio telescope belonging to the National Space Agency of Ukraine. This transmission is due to arrive in the Gliese 581 system's vicinity by the year 2029; the earliest possible arrival for a response, should there be one, would be in 2049.[12]
As part of the 2009 National Science Week celebrations in Australia, Cosmos Magazine launched a website called Hello From Earth to collect messages for transmission to Gliese 581d. The maximum length of the messages was 160 characters, and they were restricted to the English language. In total, 25,880 messages were collected from 195 countries around the world. The messages were transmitted from the DSS-43 70 m radio telescope at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla, Australia on the 28th of August, 2009. [13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i M. Mayor, X. Bonfils, T. Forveille, X. Delfosse, S. Udry, J.-L. Bertaux, H. Beust, F. Bouchy, C. Lovis, F. Pepe, C. Perrier, D. Queloz, N. C. Santos (2009). "The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets,XVIII. An Earth-mass planet in the GJ 581 planetary system". arΧiv:0906.2780 [astro-ph].
- ^ a b Udry, S.; Bonfils, X.; Delfosse, X.; Forveille, T.; Mayor, M.; Perrier, C.; Bouchy, F.; Lovis, C.; Pepe, F.; Queloz, D.; Bertaux, J.-L. (2007). "The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets. XI. Super-Earths (5 and 8 M⊕) in a 3-planet system". Astronomy and Astrophysics 469 (3): L43 – L47. doi:. http://cdsads.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?2007A%26A...469L..43U&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g004fh_K-6Q4ebEceKWMDqEAiCagD97NCL9G0
- ^ SPACE.com - Hopes Dashed for Life on Distant Planet
- ^ von Bloh, W.; Bounama, C.; Cuntz, M.; Franck, S. (2007). "The Habitability of Super-Earths in Gliese 581". Astronomy & Astrophysics 476: 1365 – 1371. doi:. http://cdsads.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?2007A%26A...476.1365V&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ "Global Warming Frequently Asked Questions". Lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov. 2008-05-08. http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html#q1. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ von Bloh, W.; et al. (2008). Habitability of Super-Earths: Gliese 581c and 581d. arΧiv:0712.3219v4.
- ^ "Centauri Dreams » Blog Archive » Gliese 581d: A Habitable World After All?". Centauri-dreams.org. 2007-12-13. http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=1625. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ Posted at 12:06 AM in Space Exploration (2007-06-15). "New 'Super Earth 2' Discovered in Constellation Libra". Dailygalaxy.com. http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/06/another_super_e.html. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ "Lightest exoplanet yet discovered". eso.org. 2009-04-21. http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2009/pr-15-09.html. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ Barnes, Rory; Jackson, Brian; Greenberg, Richard; Raymond, Sean N. (2009-06-09). "Tidal Limits to Planetary Habitability". arΧiv:0906.1785v1 [astro-ph].
- ^ "Zimbio Pilot - Gliese 581c". Zimbio.com. 2008-10-13. http://www.zimbio.com/pilot?ID=bwaIrlOhfhm&ZURL=/Gliese+581c/news&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%2Furl%3Fsa%3DT%26ct%3Dus%2F3-0%26fd%3DR%26url%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fblogs.discovermagazine.com%2Fdiscoblog%2F2008%2F10%2F13%2Fbritney-pics-beamed-into-space-thus-far-aliens-remain-silent%2F%26cid%3D0%26ei%3DZ58MSeCgKpLmyASDtuz3AQ%26usg%3DAFQjCNFY_rY3wSipj2eD2pMLrI_lbcEWAg. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ^ Jenkins, Simon (2009-08-28). "Earth sends 25,000 hellos to outer space". Brisbane Times. http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/earth-sends-25000-hellos-to-outer-space-20090828-f284.html. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
External links
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Wikinews has related news: Discovery of smallest exoplanet yields 'extraordinary' find |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gliese 581 |
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