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Bumper Crop of Habitable Worlds Discovered?

This artist illustration shows one of three super-Earth exoplanet in orbit around Gliese 667c, a red dwarf t star that is a companion to two other low-mass stars, which are seen here in the distance.
This artist illustration shows one of three super-Earth exoplanet in orbit around Gliese 667c, a red dwarf star that is a companion to two other low-mass stars, which are seen here in the distance. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada


New observations of the star Gliese 667C—about one-third the mass of our sun—is home to between five and seven planets, three of which are classified as super-Earths. All three are larger than our own planet, but smaller than gas giants like Uranus and Neptune. (Related: “Light From a “Super Earth” Seen—A First.”)

But what makes all the difference is that these super-Earths orbit in what is known as the “Goldilocks Zone”—the region around a star where temperatures are just right for liquid water, a key ingredient in the recipe for life, to exist. (Related: “Most Earthlike Planets Found Yet: A ‘Breakthrough.'”)

“These planets are good candidates to have a solid surface and maybe an atmosphere like the Earth’s, not something like Jupiter,” said study co-author and University of Washington astronomer Rory Barnes in a statement this week.


“It’s exciting that we’ve found a nearby star that has so many planets in its habitable zone,” said Barnes.

Lock on Life?

Since Gliese 667C is so much smaller and cooler than our own sun, it’s habitable zone is much closer in, meaning the super-Earths take anywhere from 20 to 100 days to orbit. Astronomers suspect this indicates the planets are gravitationally more influenced by their parent star than Earth is by the sun.

“The close proximity of these planets in the habitable zone to the host star makes it likely they are ‘tidally locked,’ which in this case means the same hemisphere always faces the star,” Barnes said. “Fortunately, we know that this state can still support life.”

These finding were made possible thanks to years of radial velocity measurements of the starlight using some of the world’s largest observatories ; including the Keck  Observatory, in Hawaii, and the European Southern Observatory’s 3.6 meter telescope and Las Campanas Observatory, both in Chile. Radial velocity measures a star’s wobble caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets by looking for the telltale shifts in a star’s light spectrum as the planets appear to move away and towards us.  The more massive a planet, and the tighter its orbit, the higher effect it will have on its star. Since these planets were relatively small their signals were hidden in the original data and so a re-analysis and new observations helped to confirm their existence.

At least two to four other planets outside the habitable zone may exist but still need to be confirmed by further observations.

The implications of this packed planetary system on the hunt for Earth-like planets could be profound. Barnes and his team believe this discovery may indicate that low mass suns like this red dwarf—many of which populate the Milky Way—may routinely harbor multiple low-mass planets in their habitable zones. This means that there could be many more habitable planets in the Milky Way than we ever thought.

The super-Earth study will appear in the July edition of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.




  1. Danny Ellis (Ash Walker)
    July 3, 2013, 5:43 am

    I find it really suprising the lack of intelligent comments that news such as this apparently receives (I follow on FB & at times consider slitting my wrists). I would have thought that just to read this would possibly stimulate the human mind enough to think a bit more openly of the world which exists ‘without’ us.

    I fail to see how this news is either proof of or proof not of your gods.

    The current speed at which we age would be interrupted, should we ever find the good fortune to travel at the speed of light & make a journey of any significant distance. By the time we (or our descendants) arrived, we would be significantly changed, on all human levels.

    Migration is a human (if not Earthbeing) instinct.

    We can not know what will happen to our earth. We can not know what will happen after breakfast.

    Television is not travel.

  2. Danny Ellis (Ash Walker)
    July 3, 2013, 5:36 am

    I find it really suprising the lack of intelligent comments that news such as this apparently receives. I would have thought that just to read this would possibly stimulate the human mind enough to think a bit more openly of the world which exists ‘without’ us.


    The current speed at which we age would be interrupted, should we ever find the good fortune to travel at the speed of light & make a journey of any significant distance. By the time we (or our descendants arrived), we would be significantly changed, on all human levels.

    Television is not travel.

  3. mutebi john
    July 1, 2013, 10:56 am

    thats great but wait 4 my discorveries soon out

  4. Judy Plummer
    Hastings, Ontario. CA
    July 1, 2013, 9:54 am

    Galloway Grumble. This does not show how small the Lord (God) is. If this is so, it shows how big he is. We are taught from the Bible what happened on earth. The area where the story covers Christs walk on earth is about 30 miles not 50. His deciples travelled beyond this. We find things out when he is ready reveal this. We had to come up with the technology in order for this to be found. This is a gift also. All good things come from God. This may end up not being such a good thing at all in the future. You don’t know this and either do I. However this is so exciting isn’t it. So with 2 planets who are getting nourishment from their sun and it being only half of both planets, this means putting the two halves together in ones mind, there is a whole planet it out there like ours. So exciting.

  5. James Bosworth
    June 30, 2013, 2:34 pm

    Renier Moolman. Since we haven’t been sending radio messages into space for more than 100 years at most, that’s the furthest distance, (in light years), that they could have travelled.

  6. D Smart
    June 28, 2013, 10:22 am

    Quite the discovery.I can’t wait to learn more. Following up on some earlier comments about possible life on these far away earth like planets -I sure hope their intelligent life forms (if they exist) are more earth friendly than we are.

  7. S. Modric
    June 28, 2013, 10:11 am

    Funny how science has become the new religion, where people take on faith the edicts of scientists. Nothing in what is found suggests earth like planets or even the possibility of life. These are just theories and assumptions by scientists on planetary habitable zones. Astronomers are like priests in middle ages, proclaim dogma to ignorant masses who accept them without question (For example, see Global Warming). Practice empiricism and critically think about the proclamations of astronomers and planetologists (and their enablers in the media), who have a vested interest to sensationalize their findings to ensure their continued grants and funding.

  8. Galloway Grumblefield
    South Florida
    June 28, 2013, 7:03 am

    In the words of Douglas Adams, the universe is big…really, really big. Two paraphrase George Carlin, did you ever notice that the people who wrote the Bible only wrote about things that happened within a 50 mile radius of where they lived? The Hubble Telescope makes God look really small, after all. Maybe each life is really a galaxy hop. There are hundreds of billions to tour. More interesting than Heaven!

  9. Rusty Jarmain
    South Africa
    June 28, 2013, 6:21 am

    @Renier Moolman: Absolutely not! Intellectual development is by no means dependent upon scientific discovery and certainly not upon the ability to send radio waves streaming at the speed of light through the measureless expanse of space. Consider this: five hundred years ago William Shakespeare wrote some of the greatest works of literature ever written — more than 200 years before the invention even of the humble dipping pen!

  10. Kitten
    Austin, Tx
    June 27, 2013, 11:54 pm

    What intrigues me about Astronomers the most is the FACT that they’re looking to inhabit humanity into a totally different planet. Who’s to say ‘life’ doesn’t exist with ‘aliens’ that don’t bleed, breath or even need water? On top of this . . why on Earth should we run to another planet when we can’t begin to take care of the one we’ve got? It’s so typical to just run away from our mistakes as usual.

  11. jonathan zamora
    June 27, 2013, 11:22 pm

    they always said that there is another earth outside, so, were is the real pics? why is it always animated pics their post?

  12. Brett
    West Virginia
    June 27, 2013, 3:52 pm

    Travelling 186,282 miles/second for 22 years to get there. Similarly, the data that observers receive today is 22 years old. It sounds like a formidable task.

    Maybe, sometime in the future, a planetary mission satellite will be sent in that direction, through hyperspace, when it completes it’s mission – like voyager: hundreds of years to get there and 22 years for the data to travel back to us.

  13. Holly Celerier
    New Orleans, LA
    June 27, 2013, 2:38 pm

    Why does everyone think that Earth is the only habital planet? Extremophiles on earth live in sulpurose hot springs, in the Arctic ice and deep ocean vents. They don’t live on oxygen as we do. Given time they could evolve into more complex life forms. As for the “aliens”, if they exist of course, they probably look over the Earth and immediately leave after deciding that our planet is full of poisonous gasses and water which are inhospitiable to live as they know it.

  14. Renier Moolman
    South Africa
    June 27, 2013, 1:24 pm

    I’ve read that our radio waves we send out into space has now reached 200 light years away from earth. Since the planets are 22 light years away and the fact that we haven’t heard any radio waves from them, does this mean that their life forms are not as developed as us or nonexistent? Is this a reasonable assumption?

  15. dale weatherford
    June 27, 2013, 11:45 am

    After 50 years of reading sci-fi I think things will change very fast..and these advances will change how we view ourselves and the rest of space..What is not possible can be become possible overnight..Life is a adventure..enjoy it..

  16. Evon
    June 27, 2013, 6:41 am

    Good findings,hoping it’s earth like.

  17. Ronald
    June 27, 2013, 4:46 am

    I love Nat Geo! Live long and prosper.

  18. Richard Bryle Taub
    June 27, 2013, 2:37 am

    I think people in this generation, must create a ship that lets us travel more easier in the deep space so that we can discover another life on our universe.

  19. Dave J
    June 27, 2013, 1:58 am

    On a lesser note, because I’m anal, learn the difference between it’s and its.

    Fifth-grade language arts.

  20. Dave
    June 27, 2013, 12:27 am

    So I wonder if over on Gliese 667C, their scientists are simultaneously jumping up and down with joy about learning about our lonely little planet.

  21. laurence anderson
    June 26, 2013, 9:24 pm

    Most likely we will need to learn how to jump dimensions in order to cross vast distances. The UFO’s appear to do just this.

  22. neaklsndkla
    June 26, 2013, 8:54 pm

    Lies lies and lies… Nice photoshop btw !

    June 26, 2013, 8:53 pm


  24. James Poch
    Charleston, SC
    June 26, 2013, 8:49 pm

    Very interesting article. I’m curious how far away these planets are and how long would it take to travel to them?

  25. Rosalinda Portilla Rossier
    San Francisco,CA
    June 26, 2013, 8:49 pm

    Life in the space is amazing, but the humans like a spice have to learn, care and respect their own planet the earth,

  26. Rosalinda Portilla Rossier
    San Francisco,CA
    June 26, 2013, 8:46 pm

    Amazing is the life in the space, but the humans like a spice have to learn, care and respect their own planet the earth,

  27. americanslookup
    Albany NY
    June 26, 2013, 12:18 pm

    Sign a white house petition to fund research on this solar system!

  28. Torbjörn Larsson, OM
    June 26, 2013, 12:16 pm

    @Zen: Sure, there are at least 2 chlorophylls that goe into the near infrared suitable for these M stars, and at least one of those support oxygenating photosynthesis. (Chl-d, in one cyanobacteria; Chl-f is unknown in function as of yet.)

    @Nelson, Chris: Who wants to visit, and why relevance tomorrow?

    The excitement comes from studying conditions where life evolves and understand how it did so here on Earth. This research happens _now_. Be there or be nowhere.

    @Edward, Andrew: Nasa researchers have declared Mars habitable early on based on Curiosity’s find of free-flowing water, comparable to the conditions these habitables allow.

    Edward, the work is based on perturbation analysis of known Earth (life everywhere water is liquid). It is a tool to find inhabited planets and to inform on when it isn’t despite habitable conditions. We may need more detail, but we will find that out this way.

    @ CA: Neither of those models are constrained enough to be informative if the answer is negative. There can be silent pathways for intelligent life.

    In fact I can argue that the most generic pathways always is, expansion into the Oort clouds between stars. It is faster, cheaper, less riskier and mostly radio silent as inhabited bodies will have the their species evolving into small, separated, incommunicado biospheres.

    So I see people worry, but I don’t find any substance.

  29. Torbjörn Larsson, OM
    June 26, 2013, 11:59 am

    Gliese 667C has nearly 5 planets within its narrow, small star, habitable zone. It may be that we will see systems with 4-5 habitables when we can survey larger stars better. (It is harder to see small planets around them.)


    Mercury is comparably close, but in a 3:2 resonance. The difference is that its eccentricity allows it, while these planets are in pretty circular orbits. Incidentally, Mercury was kicked into its orbit by other planets, so I assume even nicely orbiting planets can go in and out of tidal lock.

  30. Bogus
    June 26, 2013, 11:45 am

    Evolution is a fickle topic. I like the odds for finding life or life supporting planets, but not so keen on the odds for intelligent life, what with the constraints of time. As we embark on our next small steps finding intelligent life is the least of our concerns. The way we’ve evolved on this planet is a problem, we’re tied to its gravity and we live for a relatively short time. Anyone going into space is gonna be going on a one way ticket, getting to somewhere like here would take countless generations living their entire lives in space, an entire civilisation that has itself had time to evolve both physically and socially. But how do we get around that gravity problem? Colonise Mars first to adapt to its weaker gravity? What about when the spacebound colony finds eutopia, how does it then adapt from zero gravity to a planet twice the size of Earth? Maybe it is our purpose to inject life into the Universe, where ever man goes he will have to adapt and evolve to survive. But this will always be the mother planet for life as we know it, and i reckon there’s a good chance we’ll find we’re also lucky to be positioned where we are in the Universe with lots of stepping stones available in the future. I’m pretty certain we won’t find intelligent life in my lifetime so i’d rather worry about what can be done now, so much to do and so many projects, time is evil

  31. Gregory Wright
    Sacramento, CA
    June 26, 2013, 11:28 am

    It seems to me that if the same hemisphere is constantly facing the sun that the backside of the planet would be covered in ice. That is if there is water on the planet. Any thoughts on what the temperature would be on the light and dark sides of these planets based on their proximity to their sun?

  32. Gregory Wright
    Sacramento, CA
    June 26, 2013, 11:25 am

    Nice article Mr. Fazekas…thank you!

  33. paul
    bc canada
    June 26, 2013, 10:21 am

    Relly to comment by Nelson:

    “..The popular sentiment, bordering on religious belief, is that it is our “destiny” to colonize the stars…”

    I am fully amazed there are still members of our society that don’t understand we absllutely need to colonize to ensure the survival of our species. Ignoring the possible likelihood that we will at some point mastermind our own extinction, there are many other statistically viable reasons why keeping your eggs in one planetary basket is a very bad idea.

    Fascinating article. I do hope at some point when these discoveries come to light there is more data available…but that will take time.

  34. zzeus
    June 26, 2013, 9:14 am

    “The Last Resort” by Eagles is again relevant here.

  35. Observer
    United States
    June 25, 2013, 10:10 pm

    Note to author/editor:

    Second paragraph re Goldilocks zone, I believe “a key ingredients in the recipe for life” should read “a key ingredient in the recipe of live”. (Note plural ingredient(s) ).

  36. Els
    June 25, 2013, 8:59 pm

    How to Serve Man

  37. Hans Baumeister
    June 25, 2013, 8:47 pm

    RE Tidally-locked planet: “Fortunately, we know that this state can still support life.”
    How the heck do we know THAT? Have we found life on any tidally-locked planets? Nope. On the Moon? Nope.
    Sounds like hogwash to me…

  38. Zen Galacticore
    Atlanta, GA.
    June 25, 2013, 8:43 pm

    It won’t be long before we will be able to use advanced spectroscopy and other remote sensing technology to detect free oxygen in the atmospheres of distant alien planets.

    Oxygen rapidly combines with other elements, like with iron making iron oxide, or rust, etc. It must be constantly replenished to be present in any sizable amount in a planetary atmosphere. The replenishment source would be more than likely photosynthetic (or chemophotosynthetic) life.

  39. Nelson
    Northern Virginia
    June 25, 2013, 8:31 pm

    Earth is perfectly suitable for us because we evolved here. We could not have emerged at all if conditions hadn’t been perfect in the first place. Go to any other planet in the universe and lots of things will be different, perhaps radically different, and there will be peril everywhere because we are physically not habituated for those differences. There has to be fresh water of a certain Ph, uncontaminated. There has to be a temperature in a certain range, manageable weather variations, and atmospheric shielding from radiation. There has to be arable and fertile land with minimal volcanism. Any creatures living there are bound to be dangerous and perhaps lethal; what looked like a mosquito bite and kill you within hours. The list of potential show-stoppers goes on and on and on. The popular sentiment, bordering on religious belief, is that it is our “destiny” to colonize the stars. I’m not so sure about that, but of course we have to give it a try someday. when our technology catches up with the requirements.

  40. Terry Midkiff
    Austin, TX
    June 25, 2013, 8:14 pm

    “Make it so number 1.”

  41. Chris
    June 25, 2013, 7:56 pm

    Wow. Fascinating. 22 light years. Maybe in 500 years this article will have some relevance. For now, nada…..

  42. Mike
    June 25, 2013, 7:53 pm

    Google put them there… “C’mon folks all aboard the GoogleCraft to escape the Earth we’ve destroyed and we’ll fly you to the new GooglePlanet! We’ll save you, but first drink this…” 😉

  43. Paul Felix Schott
    The United States of America
    June 25, 2013, 7:41 pm

    Very soon all will look to the Heavens above.

    (C/2012 S1) will give a show no one will forget.

    Every one on Earth can track and see most all NEAR EARTH OBJECTS at


    What a view the International Space Station will get more then a eye full of C/2012 S1.

    Largest ever seen in the last 200 years or more, Moon Impact Explosion March 17, 2013.

    More small ones Asteroids to Impact, you do not want to be by tall building
    if a big enough one impact the earth most all the tall building if not all will

    Fathers and Mothers take your children to a ” STAR PARTY ” its a gathering of Astronomers some amateur some new to it and many of us have been looking to the Heavens for many years. There are many a Star Party all over this planet.

    From………… Maui Space Surveillance Site Complex (MSSSC)

    Or from any of the hills or beaches in the Hawaii Islands at night if you look long enough you will see one, and some nights many of Shooting Stars. People from all over Earth come to the Islands many of them Astronomers.


    Father like son both Archimedes and his Father Phidias the Astronomer were

    More small ones very likely, large ones less likely without notice
    with all the eyes looking to the Heavens Above.

    is not to protect Earth from men from Mars.
    Nothing would live long on Mars well more than 100 times a year every year it is impacted from meteors of all sizes.
    It is for all mankind with most

    was full of Bodies from the Tsunamis more than 35,000 of them, the sea stayed
    world wide Froze to Death from the KRAKATOA Event.

    A Shock Wave was felt in England from a Event
    the TUNGUSKA EVENT. For all that lived there it was
    water no longer sweet and undrinkable.

    If a Meteor Shower is big enough
    you might think all the Stars are falling from Heaven.

    About one every 100 years makes it into the
    to the surface the signs are all over the Planet and Moon from the ones that

    If you need a visual sign of a collided impact
    with a planet look to

    “SHOEMAKER – LEVY 9” July 1994.

    and it was found only a year before in 1993.


    You Need More Look up “PROJECT

    MOSCOW Russia is now saying it will use missiles
    to intercept Asteroid if need be.

    Better to be safe then sorry.


    Read the one and only book
    that will really matter the Bible
    While you still can,
    and May our Lord
    GOD Bless all that do so.
    John 14 : 6
    Luke 13 : 27
    Matthew 7 : 20 – 27
    Matthew 12:39
    Matthew 24:3 – 14

    December 2013 the Heavens above COMET “C/2012
    S1”, “ISON”.

    The day will come soon enough when

    ARE. the night side of earth will become day and day will be blinding
    will really be something.

    The sun will be block out from all the space dust.

    Shortly thereafter you will think the stars are
    falling from the Heavens,

    REV 6:13,

    REV 16:21


    Help others in are Lord’s name
    Jesus Christ help bring all to know him while you still can. Three kings that

    The wicked for thousands of years have tried to
    wipe are LORD from the History Books.


    DECEMBER 24 – 26, 2013




    680 – 685AD


    Very Sad for many will be sorry.


    Matthew 24:37

    The Vaporized tail path after going by the SUN will light up the December skies.

    On November 1-2, 2013 (C/2012 S1) will pass very close in front of Earth Orbit. Remember its tail is Millions of miles long.

    November 28-29, 2013 it will speed up as it rounds the SUN, goes around it.

    November 29-30, 2013 it will be clear of the SUN and glow brighter each day there after.
    If it makes it passed the SUN?

    December 24-26, 2013 it will light the night sky.

    January from the 12 up to the 17 the SUN could be blocked out from the comets long tail of star dust. Even if it does not make it around the SUN.

    Earth will be going right through part of its tail path in January 14-16, 2014, that (C/2012 S1) took on the way to the SUN.

    Comets have rocks of all sizes, dust, water, ice and gases, most all gets Vaporized to a glowing yellow or white if it passed to close to the SUN. This Glowing mass can be seen for a Billion + miles away. This absorb energy is carried back with the comet in its orbital path some to deep space.

    The Sun can have a effect on a comet like 1986 Halley’s Comet that for years we will be having meteor showers from it ETA AQUARID and ORIONID METEOR SHOWER. Some Meteor Showers can be for a day to more then a week long.

    ( C/2013 A1 )

    Discovered on January 3, 2013, by Robert H. McNaught born 1956
    he is more then a Experienced Comet Hunter and well know Astronomer.

    Robert H. McNaught discovered over 50 Comets and very many hundreds of Asteroids.
    Robert H. McNaught discovery of this comet was made with
    one of the more then 10 telescopes on Siding Spring Mountain Top
    at 3,822 ft. above sea level
    Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory
    it is in New South Wales, Australia.

    One of the Most Valuable Scientist and Engineer for NASA and the U.S.A.F.
    and by far the most loved by all that came to know Samuel T. Bedingfield
    was a big fan of Siding Spring Observatory. Sam is now with our LORD.

    Both of these two have played a big part in the Earth’s NEO. Near Earth Object.
    Each on the other side of the planet. Opposite side of Earth.


    ( C/2013 A1 ) could give ( Planet Mars ) more then just a Little Kiss October 2014.

    Photo of
    Samuel T. Beddingfield, Monica D. Key Lindbergh, Francis J. Reilly and crew of the Space Walk of Fame. Raymond P. Sharkey is the one always dressed well in a suit next to Charlie Mars, tallest in the group is Walt Johnson. Photo by Paul Felix Schott all of us spent years volunteering for NASA, the USAF, USN, USCG and many Federal Agencies and PATRIOTIC events.

    The Lord’s Little Helper
    Paul Felix Schott

  44. sgreco
    June 25, 2013, 7:22 pm

    Good. When can I move in? This planet has had it.

  45. Edward
    United States
    June 25, 2013, 7:20 pm

    What a bunch of crock. These planets are in the habitable zone, not necessarily habitable by humans. I mean hell, even Venus and Mars are in the “habitable zone” but they are certainly not habitable.

    • Andrew Fazekas
      June 25, 2013, 8:36 pm

      True that both Venus and Mars are at the outskirts of our habitable zone and neither has liquid surface water today, but honestly I don’t think we have enough data to say what they were exactly like billion years ago. However one theoretical scenario to consider with Mars at least is it were to have been more massive, and had a magnetic field, it could possibly enjoy a thicker atmosphere and have a mild greenhouse effect, thereby producing a habitable environment.

      In the case of Gliese 667c all we can say is that theoretically, these three planets orbit tight enough around the host star for water not freeze out – but not too close so that water would boil away.

  46. ben
    94303, CA, USA
    June 25, 2013, 7:15 pm

    A rather glaring omission in this report is that it does not give any detail on the effort leading to the stated conclusions nor on which observatory was used.

    • Andrew Fazekas
      June 25, 2013, 8:15 pm

      Edits were made to include info on the instruments and detection method

  47. David Charles
    June 25, 2013, 7:05 pm

    Anyone “out there” scoping our solar system would eventually find the blue and green one. Could explain why so many very different types and sizes of UFOs appear here. Something as nice as our planet is would have to be checked out.

  48. Caffeinated Alien
    June 25, 2013, 6:21 pm

    So many habitable worlds being found is very worrisome, in the sense of Drake equation and Fermi’s paradox. If there are so many habitable worlds, where are the aliens? Where is any trace of evidence of their existence? Are so many intelligent civilizations going extinct because of stupidity? Or is intelligence very unlikely? Or is it that FTL travel is fully impossible? The universe is 14 billion years old. Assuming that the first stars formed shortly afterwards, that is a lot of time for something galactically significant to have evolved.

  49. francisco avendano
    3075 Brighton 14th St. Brooklyn NY 11235
    June 25, 2013, 6:14 pm

    We’re not alone in this vast Galaxy and Universe

  50. Kathryn Turner
    New Jersey (south)
    June 25, 2013, 6:05 pm

    Just amazing…..to thnk that life is possible on other planets, in other solar systems. However, I think humankind has a lot to learn about respecting planet (mother) Earth before we can reach other planets.

  51. Bryan
    Mars, dude!
    June 25, 2013, 5:56 pm

    Amazing, apparently ANYTHING really IS possible!