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As the Super-Earths turn...
New observations of a star known as Gliese 667C have revealed a system with at least six planets, including a record-breaking three super-Earths orbiting in the star's "habitable zone" where liquid water could exist on the planets. This is the first planetary system found to have a fully packed habitable zone. Here is an animated graphic representation of the radial velocity data that helped to identify these new planets.
"This discovery is really the start of a whole new era studying Earth-like planets which may have liquid water on the surface," said Maria Womack, NSF program officer. "This is a result of more than a decade of hard work using the best tools to do cutting-edge science--just the kind of research NSF loves to be a part of."
Credit: Guillem Anglada-Escudé, Universität Göttingen, and René Heller, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
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Related story: Astronomers Detect Three 'Super-Earths' in Nearby Star's Habitable Zone