NASA discovers 7 Earth-like planets orbiting nearby star
Just over two hours ago, NASA held a press conference confirming it had discovered seven planets with Earth-like characteristics orbiting the nearby star, Trappist-1, 40 light-years (376.4 trillion km) from Earth and located within the constellation Aquarius. Three of these planets are reportedly “habitable” and potentially capable of sustaining life.
“The planets are all close to each other and very close to the star, which is very reminiscent of the moons around Jupiter,” said Michaël Gillon of the University of Liège. “Still, the star is so small and cold that the seven planets are temperate, which means that they could have some liquid water – and maybe life, by extension – on the surface.”
According to BBC’s Science Editor, David Shukman, the reason why the discovery has been a source of so much hype is that not only are so many of the planets Earth-sized and potentially habitable, but also because the star around which they orbit is unusually small, cool and dim, preventing telescopes from becoming “dazzled”, as they frequently are by brighter stars.
“The next phase of research has already started to hunt for key gases like oxygen and methane which could provide evidence about whatever is happening on the surface,” Shukman explains.
So, how long might we expect to reach this solar system? Sadly, it won’t be in any of our lifetimes. As one commenter pointed out during NASA’s “Ask me anything” session on Reddit, “If we reach the same 165,000 mph that one probe reached by slingshotting by Jupiter, I think it'll take about 160,000 years or so.”
Nevertheless, the breakthrough is incredibly exciting and could lead to further discoveries – potentially even life beyond our solar system. Tell us in the comments below, do you believe there are other lifeforms in the universe?
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