Space & Astronomy

Four Trappist-1 planets are likely to have water

By T.K. Randall
August 31, 2017

Image: Illustration of TRAPPIST-1 b
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI), T. P. Greene (NASA Ames), T. Bell (BAERI), E. Ducrot (CEA), P. Lagage (CEA) / CC BY 4.0 (adapted) Earlier this year, NASA scientists announced the discovery of seven extrasolar planets in orbit around Trappist-1, a star situated approximately 40 light years away from the Earth.

It was the first time that such a large number of Earth-sized worlds had ever been found within a single solar system and there appeared to be a good chance that at least one of them could be habitable.Fast-forward a few months and now, thanks to new data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have determined that in fact four of the system's outermost planets, including the three located with the star's habitable zone, are likely to harbor significant quantities of liquid water.

Determining exactly what kind of atmospheres these extrasolar worlds might have however will need to wait until after NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope launches next year.


Source: The Guardian

Tags: Extrasolar Planets