A new planet able to sustain life? Read the article below about the new planet discovered in 2010. The picture above shows the orbits of the planets orbiting the star in that solar system compared to the orbit of the inner planets in our solar system. The position of the new planet in the orbit around the other Sun is what makes it possible to support life. You can see that the orbit is smaller than that of Earth's but, the star in that solar system is smaller which would allow the planet to be closer without burning up.
Comparing the Gliese 581 to Our Solar System
The orbits of planets in the Gliese 581 system are compared to those of our own solar system. The Gliese 581 star has about 30% the mass of our sun, and the outermost planet is closer to its star than we are to the sun. The fourth planet, G, is a planet that could sustain life. Image Credit: National Science Foundation/Zina Deretsky
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