Using the instrument HARPS on the ESO 3.6-m telescope, astronomers have uncovered 3 planets, all of relative low-mass: 5, 8 and 15 Earth masses. Artist's impression of the planetary system around the red dwarf Gliese 581. Gliese 581c is a super-Earth planet that was discovered in 2007.
This artist's conception shows the inner four planets of the Gliese 581 system and their host star, a red dwarf star only 20 light years away from Earth.
It provides the reality-based setting for Osiris: New Dawn and consists of six planets and several moons, all of which can be explored to some degree. Planets of the Gliese 581 System. It resides in the Gliese 581 system, which at 20 light-years from Earth is relatively close to our planet (in celestial terms).
The Gliese 581 planetary system now has four known planets, with masses of about 1.9 (planet e, left in the foreground), 16 (planet b, nearest to the star), 5 (planet c, centre), and 7 Earth-masses (planet d, with the bluish colour). The Gliese 581 planetary system is the gravitationally bound system comprising the star Gliese 581 and the objects that orbit it. The Gliese 581 planetary system is the gravitationally bound system comprising the star Gliese 581 and the objects that orbit it.