No Life on Gliese 581-d or g: New Research Proves Two Earth-Like Planet Theory Wrong

Well, it looks like the hype over the "Earth-like" Goldilocks planet Gliese 581-d may have been all for naught.

According to new research out of Penn State, the theories about the Goldilocks planet being prime to host extraterrestrial life, may have been wrong all along.

Hailed as one of the most promising habitable exoplanets for the past seven years, Gliese 581-d's rocky interior, which mimicks Earth, along with its distance from its dwarf star, Gliese 581, made it prime for supporting liquid, and therefore potentially life.

But recent research by two Penn State scientists suggests that previous observations about the planet may have been wrong. The research also suggests that the planet may not even exist, and now attribute it to an illusion caused by sunspots in the Gliese 581 star.

Researcher Paul Robertson of Penn State University led research with a group of astronomers, who observed different regions of Gliese 581's spectrum. What they found were sunspots that rotated along with the star, not actual planets. In other words, the planets were a mirage caused by the dwarf star, according to the research.

The validity of the other potentially exciting exoplanet that was thought to orbit the dwarf star, 581-g, was negated after 581-d was proven non-existent, as its existence was entirely dependent on 581-d.  

According to the research, the signals scientists attributed to being from the planets' habitable terrain were actually coming from activity inside the star itself.

The loss of the potential exoplanets is a pretty big blow to the science community, which has in recent years been buzzing with excitement about the prospect of habitable zones on other planets.

While astronomical techniques have advanced in recent years, research on planets that are light years away is uncertain at best. A number of potential exoplanets have been discovered in recent years, but until research techniques are improved, it is impossible to completely negate or validate their existence.