Recently, a set of seven new planets revealed by NASA were discovered containing similar traits to Earth. NASA reported its discovery of seven Earth sized exoplanets in space. This new finding of a grouping of these planets, which share some of Earth’s characteristics, allows NASA to now know that it’s only a matter of time before they can find a second Earth.
The discovery of these new planets will assist astronomers and organizations such as NASA in exploring the deep depths of space and the possibility of life on other planets. An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system. This is the first time in history that multiple similar sized planets (to Earth) have been found in orbit around the one, same star (similar to how planets in our solar system rotate around our Sun).
According to Fox News, “The planets closely circle a dwarf star named Trappist-1, which at 39 light years away makes the system a prime candidate to search for signs of life. Only marginally larger than Jupiter, the star shines with a feeble light about 2,000 times fainter than our sun.”
The Trappist-1 star is at the center of the solar system which contains seven planets analogous to Earth. They orbit a small star called an “ultra-cool dwarf.” According to Fox, the measurable distance of the planets from the sun suggests the possibility of water on the surfaces of some of these planets.
The possibility of water to be on the surface of one of these seven planets has caused even more excitement over this recent breakthrough. Oraganizations such as NASA are now ready to take the next step into researching further into this intriguing situation.
According to Space.com, “The planets are on such tight orbits that it takes between 1.5 and 20 days for them to whip around the star. At such proximity, most, if not all, will be “tidally locked”, meaning they show only one face to Trappist-1, just as one side of the moon always faces Earth. Some of the planets are thought to be the right temperature to host oceans of water, depending on the makeup of their atmospheres, but on others, any hospitable regions may be confined to the bands that separate the light and dark sides of the planets.”
Scientists have reported that at least five of the seven planets have a width similar to Earth’s. The similar sized planets have created theories of whether a new species of life is living on these planets.
Hopefully, more can be discovered about these new planets that can lead us to learning more about their compatible habitats for the future.
NASA has definitely advanced over the years and with this type of information, there will be even more advances in our understanding of space and other planets/exoplanets in the future.
