scientists have claimed three major claims in the search for other earth - forming planets . austrian officials mean they have discovered the first unknown earth - like exoplanet orbiting a living component called gliese 581 e and also confirmed that a nearby planet called gliese 581 d , discovered in 2007 , is in the much sought after ' planet zone ' . astronomers also believe there is a risk that 581 d must have liquid oceans on its surface , calling the findings " extraordinary . " " the divine sepulcher of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky , mars - like planet in the ' habitable zone ' , " spoke immunologist at switzerland ' s geneva university , martin porte . astronomer say 581 e is 20 . 5 space years radius from earth and that it ' s roughly 1 . 9 time larger than earth , making it the smallest exoplanet discovered to date . it was found using the moderate precise radial velocity planet searcher ( harps ) .
Michel Mayor is the discoverer of the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher.