The astronomers’ search for a planted that is very much like Earth seems to go well and have results sooner than expected. Astronomers said they found two planets that are like Earth from many points of view. One of them is the right size, the other one is in the right place. 

 

Astronomers said they found the smallest exoplanet ever. It is called Gliese 581 e. Its neighbor, Gliese 581 d, is in the prime habitable zone for potential life. These are extraordinary discoveries that not only surprised the astronomers’ community, but also gave hope to all those involved in this process of searching for Earth’s twin. 

 

Gliese 581 e is only about two times larger than Earth. More exactly, it’s 1.9 times the size of Earth and takes just 3.15 days to orbit its host star. Although it might sound really large, it’s actually tiny. Most planets outside out solar system are about the size of Jupiter, which is about 1000 times larger than Earth. 

 

However, Gliese 581 e is too hot to support life. The planet is very close to the nearest star. Nevertheless, Michel Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland, said that discovering a plant like this on in a solar system about 20 1/2 light years away from Earth is an important step forward in the process of searching for Earth-like plants and it shows that the astronomers are moving in the right direction. 

 

Gliese 581 d on the other hand seems far more hospitable. The plant which was discovered about two years ago is located within the “habitable zone” which is a region around a star or a sun that would support liquid water on the planet’s surface, said Mr. Mayor during a news conference at the University of Hertfordshire during the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science, The Associated Press reported. 

 

However, Gliese 581 d may be in the right place, but it is not the right size. Astronomers said it is too large to be made only of rocky material. According to astronomer Stephane Udry, the planet most likely has a large and very deep ocean. The Gliese 581 d is about seven times the mass if Earth and takes 66.8 days of circle the host star, Gliese 581. 

 

The two planets were discovered with the use of the new so-called wobble technique. Astronomers are using the latest technology and instrument, but so far those can only help them find the larger plants, not the small ones like the two Gliese 581s.