The next step in finding out the chances of life on the planet would be to measure its light spectrum, a process that would reveal molecular oxygen if it exists. The glare from Gliese 581 makes this impossible, however.
When a planet, orbiting around a star (other than our sun), passes in front of its parent star, then we can see a spectrum of starlight passing through its atmosphere. This gives us information on the possibility of life.
When a planet, orbiting around a star (other than our sun), passes in front of its parent star, then we can see a spectrum of starlight passing through its atmosphere. This gives us information on the possibility of life.