Space & Astronomy
7 Earth-sized worlds found around nearby star
By
T.K. RandallFebruary 22, 2017 ·
95 comments
This is what it might be like to stand on one of these new worlds. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA has announced the discovery of seven new planets including three within their star's habitable zone.
The remarkable find marks the first time that so many Earth-sized worlds have ever been found within a single solar system. The star, Trappist-1, is situated around 40 light years away.
Even more intriguing is the fact that three of these planets are located within the star's habitable zone - the region in which the temperature is "just right" for liquid water to exist.
The news is particularly exciting because with the next generation of telescopes it should be possible to determine exactly what type of atmosphere these worlds have.
According to Amaury Triaud at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University, we may even be able to determine whether or not there is life on these planets within as little as ten years.
"I think we've made a crucial step in finding out if there's life out there," he said. "If life managed to thrive and releases gases in a similar way as on Earth, we will know."
Another interesting aspect of these planets is that they are quite close together, meaning that if you stood on the surface of one you would see the others in the sky just as we see the Moon.
"It would be a beautiful show," said Triaud.
The next step will be to use the Hubble Space Telescope to look for signs of methane and water - a potential indication of a habitable world. Beyond that, there is a chance that the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope will be to tell us whether or not something is living there.
"This means we might be in the business of looking for aliens in a decade, and not, as others have envisioned, on a much longer timescale," said Professor David Charbonneau.
Source:
The Guardian |
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Tags:
Trappist, Exoplanets
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