More than 10 years after the discovery of the first extra-solar planet, a European team of astronomers have confirmed that one of the planets might indeed be located within the habitable zone around the star Gliese 581.

Their studies definitely confirm that Gliese 581c and Gliese 581d will be prime targets for the future ESA/NASA space mission Darwin/Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), dedicated to the search for life on Earth-like planets. These space observatories will make it possible to determine the properties of their atmospheres.

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