In 2010, scientists discovered a planet about 20 light-years away from our earth while exploring the universe.
And named it Gliese 581G.
So why do scientists conclude that there must be alien life on this planet?
Let’s learn about this planet together today.
Of course, the extraterrestrial life we are talking about here does not refer to aliens.
And most likely just the simplest single-celled organisms.
The volume of Gliese 581G is very similar to that of the earth. Its diameter is only more than twice that of the earth, but its mass is 3 to 4 times that of the earth.
Finally, we can use the formula to calculate it.
The gravity of Gliese 581G is about twice that of the Earth.
Such gravity is very suitable for creating an environment for life to survive.
First of all, such a large gravitational force can completely lock the atmosphere on the surface of the planet.
And if there are complex life forms on the surface of this planet, then they can also ithstand such a large gravity.
According to our human standards for detecting extraterrestrial life, another basic element is temperature.
The temperature difference of Gliese 581G is very large.
The highest temperature can reach tens of degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature can reach minus 200 degrees Celsius.
So when it comes to this, you may have a question.
With such a high temperature difference, will life still exist?
Of course, this is also related to another feature of Gliese 581G.
When astronomers probed the planet, they discovered that the planet was already tidally locked to its parent star.
Just like our Earth locked to the Moon.
Only one side of the moon always faces the earth.
The same is true for Gliese 581G, which has only one side facing the parent star.
As a result, only one side of the Gliese 581G can be exposed to sunlight all the year round.
The other side is always in darkness.
This also leads to a very large temperature difference between the two sides.
One side is hot all year round, while the other side is low temperature all year round.
But if we all analyze carefully, the place where day and night meet must be the place with the most suitable temperature, and the place where day and night meet is also the most suitable area for life to survive.
The conditions of gravity and temperature are met.
Therefore, scientists speculate that on the planet Gliese 581G, as long as there are 10% of the earth’s water and carbon dioxide, enough heat can be locked on the surface to give birth to life.
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