After the smarty pants decided Pluto isn't a planet anymore, now they've discovered a new planet.
French scientists have confirmed with computer models that Gliese 581d, a planet orbiting a red dwarf star about 20 light years from here, has a stable atmosphere, comfortable temperatures, and a surface covered in liquid water. It's the first planet orbiting another star that could definitely support life, and it's basically next door.
Specs:
- Twice the size of Earth (and six times the mass)
- Rocky (not a gas giant like Jupiter or Saturn).
This means that it's large enough and dense enough to be able to hold on to a substantial atmosphere.
Downside? Probably would take them 300,000 years to reach the Gliese system. And next year is 2012.
sigh