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Rare exoplanet 41 EP

GJ 581 e

RA 229.8565° · Dec -7.7227° · exoplanet

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Score breakdown

· 5 badges
41 pts · Rare
Rare 50 pts → Epic
  • Nearby (<25 ly) +12
  • Tidally locked +10
  • Super-Earth +8
  • Multi-planet system +6
  • Confirmed exoplanet +5
Total score 41

9 more points to reach Epic.

Badges

  • Confirmed exoplanet · +5
  • Nearby (<25 ly) · +12
  • Super-Earth · +8
  • Tidally locked · +10
  • Multi-planet system · +6

Trivia

What it actually is

  • Hugging its star. It orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to the Sun, completing a lap in less time than Mercury takes.
  • What it is made of. Its density says rock, though lighter than Earth's mix: probably less iron, or a thick shell of water and ice over the top.
  • Crowded system. One of at least 3 planets orbiting its star.

Sense of scale

  • In perspective. Inside our stellar backyard: every radio broadcast humanity has ever made has already swept past it.

Find it in the sky

  • How to spot it. At magnitude 10.6 you'll want a small backyard telescope.
  • Seen from everywhere. It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from essentially anywhere on Earth.
  • Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around May — that's when to go looking.

Could we get there?

  • Verdict. Hopelessly far for any craft humanity can build today.

Properties

density gcc
5.19
diameter km
17603.556
discovery facility
La Silla Observatory
discovery method
Radial Velocity
discovery year
2009
dist ly
20.5416
eccentricity
0.012
eq temp k
554.37
host star teff
3500
inclination
47
insolation
15.783
mag
10.57
mass earth
2.48
name
GJ 581 e
orbital period days
3.1481
radius earth
1.38
semi major au
0.028
spect
M3.0 V
sys num planets
3
sys num stars
1
tidally locked
yes
tidally locked inferred
yes

About GJ 581 e

GJ 581 e is a rare exoplanet. It lies about 20.5 light-years from Earth, shines at apparent magnitude 10.57, has spectral type M3.0 V and has an equilibrium temperature near 554 K.

It orbits closer to its star than Mercury does to the Sun, completing a lap in less time than Mercury takes.

How to see it

At apparent magnitude 10.57, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.

Like any astronomical target, GJ 581 e is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.

Why GJ 581 e is a rare exoplanet

GJ 581 e scores 41 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 9 points would lift it into a rarer tier.

That score comes from 5 science badges — Confirmed exoplanet, Nearby (<25 ly), Super-Earth, Tidally locked and Multi-planet system — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.