Artist’s impression of the Earth-like planet, in red. (AFP)

The city skywatch has changed with the discovery of what scientists claim to be “the most Earth-like planet”, and so will the planetarium programmes.

With the world renewing its interest in the skies, the MP Birla Planetarium authorities are to modify their screening content in the near future, sharing the excitement of astronomers and citizens.

“For the past two days, we have been receiving innumerous calls from people across the state for information on the new planet,” said Debiprosad Duari, director, research and academics, MP Birla Planetarium.

“The planet is one of the most exciting discoveries in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. We are quite excited about it, and are planning to include information related to the planet, with the changes to be introduced in our daily screenings,” he said.

This is the first planet outside the solar system, according to the findings announced in Astronomy and Astrophysics, that could have extraterrestial “life”, as the presence of water and tolerable temperatures on the planet suggest.

Scientists estimate that the temperature on the surface of the planet would range somewhere between zero and 40 degrees Celsius.

“We are waiting for further details to arrive from the NASA and the European Space Agency. As soon as we possess that, we will come up with new shows in the planetarium,” said Duari, who is a member of the International Astronomical Union and also a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“I have written to the Geneva observatory and asked them to furnish me with relevant details about the planet’s structure and composition,” he added.

The planet orbits a red dwarf star named Gliese 581. Gliese 581 is one of the 100 stars closest to our solar system, at a distance of 20 light years away from the Sun.