
Originally Posted by
espritduo
If you mean the planet Gliese 581c, we can infer its probable age by the age of the star. The star Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star, which is a relatively slow-burning star with a very predictable(and long) lifespan. Based on the type of light it emits we can gauge how much of its hydrogen has been converted into helium, and thus tell how long it's been around burning that hydrogen. Assuming the planet followed what we understand as normal planetary formation, it would have formed from debris around the star a few million years after the star itself formed.
Bookmarks