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Scientists say that a proposed extrasolar planet, which was hailed as the first known potentially habitable planet outside our own solar system (about 20 light years from Earth), might not exist after all.
In a new study, researchers now say the magnetic activity on Gliese 581, was confounding the signals, disproving its existence.
Astronomers first spotted the exoplanet in 2007 using spectrographs, including one mounted on the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, to analyze wobbles in its electromagnetic emissions.
The timing and severity of the wobbles gave astronomers an idea of the distance and size of Gliese 581 — at least, that’s what they thought. It now seems that the star spots on Gliese 581's surface are changing the star's spectrum, mimicking the motion induced by a planet Read more...
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