NASA have Found Life Possibilities on Trappist 1 System!
In the past several years, NASA has found life possibilities on the Trappist 1 System! This is a solar system like ours. But this is not like the other solar systems, where almost all planets are unhabitable for humans and where life possibilities are impossible. Scientists have found that almost all planets are habitable for humans, and it is possible that life exists on these planets, and these are actually the primary stages of life. NASA and other space agencies have said many times that they have found a new habitable planet or a moon where life is possible. But the planets in this solar system are really unique, and therefore, scientists are trying to collect more information about these planets.
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TRAPPIST 1 SYSTEM
A red dwarf-star system has been discovered, located about 40 light years away from our solar system, where some planets may exist where life is evolving. During the research, scientists found seven planets orbiting around this red dwarf star, of which three revolve around their star in the habitable zone. These planets present in the habitable zone are rocky worlds where there may be more water, an active atmosphere, and some kind of life than our Earth. Red dwarf stars live for more than trillion years longer than our sun, during which they continue to release their light and energy to their exoplanets. So there is a lot of time for any kind of life to evolve on the exoplanets revolving around these stars. And for this reason, these red dwarf stars are considered one of the most selected places for any kind of life to host exoplanets.
One such red dwarf star is Trappist 1, which is present in the Aquarius constellation, about 40 light years away from our Earth. This planet was discovered in 1999 and was named 2MASS J23062928-0502285. This star is actually an ultra-cool red dwarf star, which is much smaller and less bright than our Sun. But scientists have predicted that it is a much older star than our Sun, whose observed age can be 5 or 8 billion years. Its size is just a little more than that of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, but its mass is about the same as that of 80 Jupiter planets.
One such red dwarf star is Trappist 1, which is present in the Aquarius constellation, about 40 light years away from our Earth. This planet was discovered in 1999 and was named 2MASS J23062928-0502285. This star is actually an ultra-cool red dwarf star, which is much smaller and less bright than our Sun. But scientists have predicted that it is a much older star than our Sun, whose observed age can be 5 or 8 billion years. Its size is just a little more than that of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, but its mass is about the same as that of 80 Jupiter planets.
Using the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope, i.e., TRAPIST, three rocky planets were discovered revolving around it, after which this star system was named Trappist 1. In February 2017, scientists using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and some other ground-based telescopes discovered seven planets that orbit in this star system. This was the first time that scientists have found so many planets in any other solar system beyond Earth.
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But the most special thing about this discovery was that out of these seven planets, three revolve around this star in its habitable zone. The habitable zone of a star is a unique zone of that star where it should not be too hot or too cold to evolve life in it. Due to which water remains in its liquid form on the planets present in this zone, which is considered to be the most important ingredient for the possibility of life. In such a situation, a hard surface, liquid water, an active atmosphere, and life can also exist on these planets.
Also Read: New Dwarf Planets Found Beyond Pluto In Our Solar System!
But the most special thing about this discovery was that out of these seven planets, three revolve around this star in its habitable zone. The habitable zone of a star is a unique zone of that star where it should not be too hot or too cold to evolve life in it. Due to which water remains in its liquid form on the planets present in this zone, which is considered to be the most important ingredient for the possibility of life. In such a situation, a hard surface, liquid water, an active atmosphere, and life can also exist on these planets.
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TRAPPIST 1d
This is the third exoplanet in this star system. This exoplanet was discovered in 2016 through the TRAPPIST Telescope. After which, it was studied closely in 2017 and 2018 using ground-based telescopes and NASA's Spitzer telescope. Scientists have found that the mass of this exoplanet is only 30 percent of the mass of our planet Earth, and its size is 80 percent of the size of our planet Earth. It is present at a distance of only 0.022 AU from its star, which is only 2 percent of the distance between our Sun and Earth. In such a situation, it takes only 4 days to complete one revolution of its star; that is, a year on this planet is only 4 days. The most special thing about this exoplanet is that it is present in the inner region of the habitable zone of its star, and it gets almost as much sunlight from its star as the Earth gets from our sun.
In such a situation, scientists believe that about 5 percent of the mass of this planet may exist in the form of huge oceans of liquid water. This volume can be hundreds of times greater than the amount of water present in our planet's oceans. There is huge potential for life to flourish in these oceans. The average temperature of the surface of this exoplanet can range from 9 degrees Celsius to minus 18 degrees Celsius. Which is considered a favorable temperature for any type of life to evolve. Due to its proximity to its red dwarf star, this exoplanet may be tidally locked to its star. That means one side of this star is always toward its star, and the other side is always on the other side of its star.
In such a situation, scientists believe that about 5 percent of the mass of this planet may exist in the form of huge oceans of liquid water. This volume can be hundreds of times greater than the amount of water present in our planet's oceans. There is huge potential for life to flourish in these oceans. The average temperature of the surface of this exoplanet can range from 9 degrees Celsius to minus 18 degrees Celsius. Which is considered a favorable temperature for any type of life to evolve. Due to its proximity to its red dwarf star, this exoplanet may be tidally locked to its star. That means one side of this star is always toward its star, and the other side is always on the other side of its star.
In such a situation, the temperature on one side remains favorable for life while the other side remains very cold. But scientists believe that its active atmosphere would keep the climate of this exoplanet stable by delivering the necessary energy to its other side. This is a rocky exoplanet whose size is much smaller than other Trappist 1 planets, due to which its surface gravity is only 0.48g. That means your weight on this planet will be only half that on Earth. Scientists have discovered a very active atmosphere here, just like our Earth, which would protect its surface from the ultraviolet rays coming from its star. Its Earth similarity index is 0.91, which makes it the sixth most similar exoplanet to Earth discovered so far beyond the solar system. Where oceans of liquid water, rocky surfaces, and an active atmosphere can exist. In such a situation, the chances of some kind of microbial life are high.
TRAPPIST 1e
This is the fourth exoplanet in this star system. Like other Trappist 1 planets, this exoplanet was discovered in 2016 through the TRAPPIST Telescope. After which, it was closely studied using ground-based telescopes and Spitzer telescopes in 2017 and 2018. Scientists have found that the mass of this exoplanet is about 78 percent of the mass of our planet Earth, and its size is about 91 percent of our Earth. That means it is an exoplanet very similar to our Earth in mass and shape. It is present at a distance of only 0.029 AU from its star, which is only 3 percent of the distance between our Sun and Earth.
It takes only 6 days to complete one revolution of its star; that is, a year on this planet is only 6 days. This exoplanet is present in the middle outer region of its star's habitable zone, due to which it receives only 60 percent sunlight from its star compared to our Earth. Even though it is a rocky exoplanet, scientists have not yet detected any type of liquid ocean on this exoplanet. But here, liquid water, solid ice, and water vapor can be present in its atmosphere.
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The average temperature of the surface of this exoplanet ranges from minus 25 degrees Celsius to minus 40 degrees Celsius. Due to its proximity to its red dwarf star, it may be tidally locked to its star like other Trappist 1 planets. That means one of its sides is always toward its star, and the other side is always on the opposite side of its star. In such a situation, on one side, the liquid water becomes vapor and evaporates, while on the other side, it becomes solid ice. But there may exist a silver line between these two where the average temperature remains above 0 degrees Celsius and water can remain in its liquid form.
In such a situation, there is a very high possibility of some kind of life evolving in this region. It is a rocky exoplanet whose surface gravity is 0.93g, which is very similar to our Earth. Like our Earth, there may be an active atmosphere present here, which would keep the climate of this exoplanet stable and protect it from the ultraviolet rays of its star. Its Earth similarity index is 0.95, which makes it the second most similar exoplanet to Earth beyond the solar system. Where liquid water, rocky surfaces, and an active atmosphere can exist. In such a situation, the possibility of having some kind of microbial life or complex life here is quite high.
TRAPPIST 1f
This is the fifth planet in this solar system, and it was found in 2017. Scientists have found that it is 70% similar to Earth's mass, and it is almost the same as Earth's size. It is present at a very low distance from its sun as compared to our Earth. Thus, it takes only 9 days to complete one round around the sun. According to scientists, a total of 20 percent of the mass of this exoplanet is water, which can be present on this planet in the form of solid ice and water vapors.
The average temperature of the surface of this exoplanet ranges from minus 50 degrees Celsius to 1000 degrees Celsius. The reason for this is its very dense and thick atmosphere. Due to its proximity to its red dwarf star, it may be tidally locked to its star like other Trappist 1 planets. That means one of its sides is always toward its star, and the other side is always on the opposite side of its star.
In such a situation, on one side the water becomes vapor and evaporates, while on the other side it becomes solid ice. But there may be a silver line between these two where water can remain in its liquid form. Because of which life can flourish in this region. The surface gravity of this exoplanet is 0.62g; that is, if your weight on Earth is 100 kilograms, then your weight on this exoplanet will be only 62 kilograms. Like the planet Venus, there may be a dense and thick atmosphere here, which makes its surface quite warm. Its Earth similarity index is 0.70, which makes it the 30th most similar exoplanet to Earth beyond the solar system.
In such a situation, on one side the water becomes vapor and evaporates, while on the other side it becomes solid ice. But there may be a silver line between these two where water can remain in its liquid form. Because of which life can flourish in this region. The surface gravity of this exoplanet is 0.62g; that is, if your weight on Earth is 100 kilograms, then your weight on this exoplanet will be only 62 kilograms. Like the planet Venus, there may be a dense and thick atmosphere here, which makes its surface quite warm. Its Earth similarity index is 0.70, which makes it the 30th most similar exoplanet to Earth beyond the solar system.
Summary and FAQ
It is possible that NASA and other top space agencies will perform space missions to study these planets and collect more information about this Trappist-1 system. There are three planets that definitely have life possibilities on them. We have given the complete information we had about this unique solar system. Here are some questions that could arise in your mind:
1. What is the TRAPPIST 1 system?
It is a solar system where life is possible on many planets.
2. Is the TRAPPIST 1 system habitable?
Yes, scientists have found seven planets in this solar system where life is possible. which three planets are confirmed by scientists.
3. How long would it take to travel to the TRAPPIST 1 system?
It is actually 39 light years away from us.
4. Is TRAPPIST-1 in milky way?
Yes, TRAPPIST-1 is located in our Milky Way galaxy. It is a star system about 39 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius.
5. Why is TRAPPIST-1 so exciting to scientists?
TRAPPIST-1 is exciting to scientists because it hosts seven Earth-sized planets, three of which are in the habitable zone. This makes it a potential target for the search for extraterrestrial life and provides insights into planetary formation and habitability.
