Before you start using aerosol hairspray, let's try and figure out if anyone can actually live on Gliese 581g.

Here's the first problem with the new, potentially habitable Earth-like planet just discovered by astronomers. The name. No one's going to schlep all their stuff to a place called Gliese 581g. Before that sinks in, we need to change the name to something catchier – like "Mars."

Gliese 581g is about three times the mass of Earth. It's closer to its star than we are to the sun, but its star is a slow-burning red dwarf, so it's unlikely we'd be cooked right off it. It sits in what astronomers called the "Goldilocks Zone" of the galaxy – the place where conditions are just right to ensure a supply of liquid water.

We can think of Gliese 581g as our special nest egg, our survival back-up plan. Once we ruin this planet (and rest assured, that's as good as done), we now have a destination in mind. This is about as likely as you saying, "Once I've totally trashed my mom's basement, I'll move into Buckingham Palace," but dreams are important.

However, it's also important that we understand the sacrifices we'll be making on Gliese 581g. You're going to have to give up certain things in order to breathe the (possibly deadly) fresh air. Here they are: