Only 20-Light years away, a new planet has been discovered in the Gliese system that could very well be a life sustaining one. The planet, Gliese 581g, is in the Goldilocks zone, meaning it is just the perfect distance from its sun to support liquid water and for liquid water to pool on the surface of the planet. Also, with three times more mass than Earth, the planet has more than enough mass to hold on to a stable atmosphere. Many scientists are sure that this planet supports some form of life, even if it is rudimentary. This is mainly because of the fact that the planet is tidally locked to the sun. This means that one side of the planet is permanently facing the sun and the opposite side is forever facing away, much like our moon is with Earth. This allows the planet to have a very stable and diverse range of temperatures, further contributing to the idea that this planet could sustain life.
The full article can be found here:
http://news.discovery.com/space/earth-like-planet-life.html
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