Is Gliese 581 visible to the naked eye?

Answer 1

Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star located about 20.3 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Libra. It has been of interest to astronomers due to the discovery of several exoplanets orbiting around it, some of which were initially thought to be potentially within the habitable zone of the star.

However, Gliese 581 itself is not visible to the naked eye from Earth. It is a relatively dim star, and its apparent magnitude is around 10.6, which is far too faint to be seen without the aid of a telescope. Only the very brightest stars, planets, and the Moon are visible to the naked eye, generally having an apparent magnitude of around 6 or lower.

To observe stars like Gliese 581, a telescope is required. Even then, the star might not appear as a discernible point of light but rather as a small, faint spot in the telescope's field of view.

Answer 2

Unfortunately not. Gliese 581 has an apparent magnitude [See Link] of 10.57. The faintest object the naked eye can see, has an apparent magnitude of 6.5 (in perfect conditions). Even with binoculars, the faintest object is 9.5. The larger the apparent magnitude, the dimmer the object is. Our Sun has an apparent magnitude of -26.73 (yes minus)

Answer 3

Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star that is around 20.5 light years from ours. Up to six planets have been detected in orbit around this star Gliese e, b, c, g, d and f. The fourth one out (Gliese 581 g) is thought to be the most Earth-like planet found so far, if it were to be a rocky planet. It is the right distance from its star in terms of ideal temperature (for liquid water). It is 3.1 to 4.3 times more massive than the earth. It was discovered in September 2010, but is still to be confirmed.