20 light years from Earth slumbers the red dwarf star Gliese
581. Today a team of astronomers announced an astonishing
discovery-- the star has a planet which is potentially habitable
by humanity. Over 200 so-called "exoplanets" -- planets outside
our own solar system -- have already been found. But so far, all
of them have suffered from the "goldilocks problem," either too
hot, too cold, or far too massive to support life. But the new
planet, which so far is only being called "c," is different. It
has an atmosphere, liquid water, a surface temperature estimated
to range from 32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It is roughly five
times as massive as the earth but, due to a larger diameter, has
a surface gravity only1.6 times that the Earth's. It's also much
closer to its parent star, having a 'year' only 13 days long.
The view from the surface would be spectacular, with the
planet's sun appearing in the sky some 20 times larger than does
our moon. "On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be
tempted to mark t