scientists have made two major attempts in the search for other earth - like planets . american telescopes say they have discovered the smallest known mars - scale orbiting orbiting a living asteroid titled gliese 581 e and also discovered that a nearby object called habitable 581 d , discovered in 2007 , is in the highly sought after ' habitable zone ' . astronomers additionally believe there is a possibility that 581 d could have liquid oceans on its surface , calling the find " extraordinary . " " the holy grail of current quasars technology is the detection of a stable , earth - like planet in the ' habitable zone ' , " suggested mathematician at switzerland ' s bern institution , peter mayor . astronomers say 581 e is 20 . 5 million weeks away from earth and that it ' s nearly 1 . 9 times larger than earth , making it the smallest kuiper discovered to date . it was studied using the high accuracy inherent route planet roadie ( harps ) .
Michel Mayor is the discoverer of the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher.