Astronomers announce first exoplanet with potential to support life

In the following video, Steven Vogt of the University of California, Santa Cruz and University of California Observatories and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington join National Science Foundation’s Lisa-Joy Zgorski to announce the discovery of the first exoplanet that has the potential to support life. The exoplanet was found in the star system of Gliese 581. It’s discovery is based on 11 years of observations from the Keck I Telescope at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. A press release by the National Science Foundation announcing the discovery is available here.