Mauna Kea's Keck Finds Exoplanet in Goldilocks Zone

The W.M. Keck Observatory on the Big Island Hawaii has been observing the red dwarf star Gliese 581 for 11 years and yesterday R. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington announced that they discovered the first exoplanet, a planet outside our Solar System, inhabiting the Goldilocks Zone of a star. The Goldilocks Zone is an habitable area neither too hot or cold for liquid water to exist and therefore may be able to sustain life within the confines of our understanding of biological systems. The presence of water could not be confirmed given our current technological limitations.

The Gliese 581 solar system differs greatly from our own in that the star is much smaller and much colder and the newly discovered planet, Gliese 581 G, is 3 to 4 times larger than earth. In addition the system is about twice as old as our solar system.

To visit the Mauna Kea Observatory itself I would recommend a commercial tour or limit your excursion to the Visitor Information Station of the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy at the 9,000-foot level on the Mauna Kea access road. Standard rental vehicles cannot cope with the steep, unpaved road that extends beyond the Visitor Information Station and the major national car rental companies prohibit off-road use. Avis and Budget also restrict Saddle Road which leads to the paved road at Mile 28 that winds its way up to the lower slopes of Mauna Kea to the Visitor Information Station.

Mauna Kea Links

Visiting Mauna Kea Observatories - http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.shtml

Licensed Mauna Kea Commercial Tour Operators - http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/permitted_tours.html