TRAPPIST-1: System with 7 Earth-Size Exoplanets

[Brian in Mesa]

TRAPPIST-1: System with 7 Earth-Size Exoplanets

http://www.space.com/35806-trappist..._campaign=socialfbspc&cmpid=social_spc_514630

The ultracool star TRAPPIST-1, located about 40 light-years from Earth, hosts at least seven exoplanets, most likely rocky worlds the size of Earth and smaller. The star boasts not only the largest number of Earth-like worlds in a single system known to date, but also the most planets that could host liquid water on their surfaces.

Of the seven planets in TRAPPIST-1, three lie within the habitable zone, the region around a star where liquid water could form on a planet's surface, making them excellent contenders for the evolution of life. One world lies farther out, and is likely icy, while the three closest to the star are heated by its temperatures.

 

[Bodha]

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[BigRedRage]

saw this earlier, really cool however the article stated also that the "sun" of this planet system is very small.

TRAPPIST-1 is a very small, cool star — it’s what we call an M8 red dwarf. It only has a mass 8% of the Sun’s and a radius 10% of the Sun’s (that’s only a wee bit bigger than Jupiter!), and shines at a feeble 0.05% of our own star. That’s a mixed bag of news for planet hunters. The star is faint, so it’s hard to detect small variations in its light. Happily, it’s close by — just under 40 light-years— so, even though it’s intrinsically weak, it’s close enough to see.

http://www.blastr.com/2017-2-22/exoplanet-news-seven-earth-sized-planets-found-orbiting-nearby-star

 

[BillsCarnage]

Like Carl Sagan said, "If we're the only intelligent life in the universe, it's an awful waste of space." Something along those lines.