A super-Earth like planet called Gliese 581c was found in 2007. It is located in the Gliese 581 system, which is comparatively near to Earth (astronomically speaking) at about 21 light-years away. Due to the location of Gliese 581c in the "habitable zone" of its star, early study suggested that it might have liquid water on its surface; however, more recent research indicates that it might have an environment more similar to Venus.
The scientists warned that although Gliese 581c was categorised as Earth-like, the planet's true characteristics would differ greatly from our own. For instance, the atmosphere's thickness and composition might affect the surface temperature. The amount of light reflected off the planet and the strength of the greenhouse effect are likewise determined by the atmosphere.
Gliese 581, the parent star of Gliese 581c, is a dwarf star of the M class. Since it is colder than the sun, its habitable zone is expected to be closer than that of our solar system. Since M dwarfs are dimmer than other stars, planets transiting across them should be easier to see during planetary searches. Additionally, the planet and the moon are smaller in relation to one another.
The orbit of Gliese 581c around its parent star takes around 13 days. (In comparison, Mercury needs 88 days to complete its orbit around our much larger sun.) The planet Gliese 581c is thought to be tidally locked because of how close it is to its star. This indicates that the planet always faces the same direction towards the sun during its orbit. In our own solar system, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn frequently exhibit this phenomenon. Earth's moon is also tidally locked to our own planet.
A planet that is tidally locked has a side that faces the star and is constantly warmer than the opposite side, which is always facing the other direction. This would have to be taken into mind in any habitability calculations.
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