Gliese 581 c

What is Gliese 581 c?

Gliese 581 c (Gl 581 c or GJ 581 c) is a planet located in the Gliese 581 system, in the constellation Libra. It is the third closest exoplanet to its parent star. It is classified as a super-Earth because its mass is greater than Earth's but less than 10 times Earth's.

What is special about this exoplanet?

Scientists became interested in Gliese 581 c because it was proposed to be the first Earth-like exoplanet found in the habitable zone of its hosting star, with temperatures that allow liquid water to exist on its surface, thus possibly capable of supporting extremophile forms of life. Research, however, suggests that the planet is not habitable, since it is tidally locked to its hosting star.

Geomorphology

Gliese 581 c possesses a radius of 208,015 km (129,254.49 miles), and has a surface area of 543749875239.7022 km² (209942914329.80 miles²). It has a size of 1.5 times Earth's.

Anatomy

Gliese 581 c has a mass of >5.6 terrestrial mass ( >5.6 Earth-mass | 33,443,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons). Its density is unknown. Gliese 581 c possesses an atmosphere.

Tectonic plates

Studies of the tectonic plates of Gliese 581 c has yet to be made.

Location

Gliese 581 c is 20.37 light-years away from Earth.
Gliese 581 c orbits at a distance of 0.0721 AU (10,786,160,000.00 km | 6,702,207,025.36 miles), and is situated at the habitable zone of the system.

Physico-chemical properties

We do not know what composes Gliese 518 c.

Temperature

Gliese 581 c has a surface temperature of 270 to 313 K (-3 to +40 °C | 26.6 to 104°F).

Age

We do not know GJ 581 c's age.

Gravitational force

GJ 581 c has a gravitational pull of 21.96768 m/s² (72.072440945 ft/s²), 2.24 times as strong as on Earth.

Magnetic field

GJ 581 c might have a magnetic field just barely strong enough, but that remains a theory.

Orbit

GJ 581 c orbits its parent star every 12.914 Earth days.

Rotation

GJ 581 c is tidally locked to its parent star.

Moon system

Gliese 581 c does not have any moons as we know of today.

Ring system

Gliese 581 c does not possess any rings.

Author: William Homier

Editor: William Homier

Sound credit goes to TheRealGDcreeper.

This page was last edited on 11 April 2022, at 19:45 (HAE).

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