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February 9, 2011

Orbits of Planets in Gliese 581 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 percent the mass of our sun, and the outermost planet is closer to its star than the Earth is to the sun. The 4th planet, G, is a planet that could sustain life.

This image accompanied NSF press release "Newly Discovered Planet May Be First Truly Habitable Exoplanet."

Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation


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