The false readings by scientists were caused by cosmic noise (sunspots within stars) that was created. British scientists now claim that the British method of finding small exoplanets is flawed and GJ 581d exists. Gliese 581, is a red dwarf located in Libra. This exoplanet orbits a planet that’s not part of our solar system. Old, cool stars are called red dwarfs. GJ 581d lies in the “Goldilocks Zone”, also known as the “Circumstellar Habitable Zone” or the “Habitable Zone”. This is the area around a star that a planet can have enough atmospheric pressure and water for life to exist as it exists today. This is the equivalent of the fairytale ‘Goldilocks, which describes a place where everything works out just right. GJ 581 may be the closest exoplanet to Earth if the new findings prove correct. Researchers from Queen Mary University, London and University of Hertfordshire just published a study. Their findings were challenged by the last year’s methods. They concluded that mysterious signals to GJ 581d are just cosmic noise. There is no planet like this. To determine the exoplanet candidate, scientists employed a spectrometer last year. The device detects tiny changes in wavelengths of light emitted by stars. The readings can be affected by the motion of orbiting planets. This mysterious signal was first collected in 2007,, and was then further examined in 2014,. Scientists concluded that there wasn’t a planet in the area and that it was just noise from starspots. Their evidence was convincing, and they believed the matter had been settled …, until their latest research. Smaller planets not spotted by the old method The British scientists claim that the method used to calculate the star’s activity last year was insufficient for smaller planets. It is not useful for small planets close to the star, or in the presence of noise due to its variability. Gliese 581’s habitable area compared to our Solar System. Image: Wikipedia. Dr. Guillem Aglada–Escude from Queen Mary University of London and Dr. Mikko Tuomi from Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire say they have verified that GJ 581d is indeed a planet despite the starspot noise and is located in the Goldilocks Zone. Dr. Anglada Escude commented that “The existence or non-existence of GJ 581d was significant as it was the first Earth-like world to be discovered within the “Goldilocks”-zone surrounding another star. “There is always discussion among scientists regarding the best way to interpret data, but I am confident that GJ 581d had been orbiting around Gliese 581 throughout. Their statement is way too strong in any event. These kinds of claims should be viewed with caution. According to Drs. Drs. Its surface may be quite different. GJ 581d appears to have a denser atmosphere that Earth, and the dimming light from its dwarf star may make it uninhabitable. Earth Similarity Index (also known as the Easy Scale) is an indicator of how similar a planet to Earth is. The index is from zero to one (completely distinct) with Earth being the first. GJ 581d was given an Index of 0. 89, This makes it the Earth’s most Earth-like world. Guillem Anglada–Escude, Mikko Tuomi. Comment on “Stellar activity disguised as planets within the habitable area of the M dwarf Gliese 581’,”Science. 2015. Published 6 March. DOI: 10.1126/science.1260796. Video: The exoplanet GJ 581d
