It is ‘amazing’ how similar the entire solar system is to Earth
Scientists have found a new solar system filled with planets that look like Earth and could support life, Nasa has announced.
At least three of the seven planets represent the “holy grail for planet-hunting astronomers”, because they sit within the “temperate zone” and are the right temperature to allow alien life to flourish, the researchers have said. And they are capable of having oceans, again suggesting that life could flourish on them.
No other star system has ever been found to contain so many Earth-sized and rocky planets, of the kind thought to be necessary to contain aliens.
The researchers might soon be able to find evidence of life on the planets, they have said. British astronomer Dr Chris Copperwheat, from Liverpool John Moores University, who was part of the international team, said: “The discovery of multiple rocky planets with surface temperatures which allow for liquid water make this amazing system an exciting future target in the search for life."
Any evidence of life is likely to be “strong, very strong or conclusive”, the scientists said. It will be done by looking for what molecules are in the atmosphere – if they were to find things like oxygen, and in the right amounts, then it would probably indicate that there was biological activity.
Co-researcher Dr Amaury Triaud, of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, said: “We hope we will know if there's life there within the next decade.”
The TRAPPIST-1 system and its terrestrial planets are a huge milestone because before their discovery, we were basically limited to four candidates – one of which was our own. These new Earth-sized celestial bodies were originally discovered when researchers including lead author of the new study Michaël Gillon of the University of Liège were studying the TRAPPIST-1 star they’d been observing since 2015, and noticed decreases in the star’s brightness, caused by the momentary occlusion of the star by the passage of three of the system’s planets across its surface.
NASA has also been very quick to temper expectations from observers who think this might signal favorable possibilities in terms of the discovery of alien life – the likelihood is slim, and it’s very early yet in terms of figuring out if the planets have other characteristics they share with Earth beyond rockiness and relative warmth owing to their placement in the so-called “habitable zone” of TRAPPIST-1 – like whether they even have atmospheres and the presence of water or other gases like oxygen.
Still, finding this many planet orbiting a star so nearby with even basic Earth-like characteristics is a promising sign, according NASA researchers. It suggests that indeed, as some have theorized, the galaxy could be littered with Earthish planets – far more than we might’ve suspected.
Scientists have found a new solar system filled with planets that look like Earth and could support life, Nasa has announced.
At least three of the seven planets represent the “holy grail for planet-hunting astronomers”, because they sit within the “temperate zone” and are the right temperature to allow alien life to flourish, the researchers have said. And they are capable of having oceans, again suggesting that life could flourish on them.
No other star system has ever been found to contain so many Earth-sized and rocky planets, of the kind thought to be necessary to contain aliens.
The researchers might soon be able to find evidence of life on the planets, they have said. British astronomer Dr Chris Copperwheat, from Liverpool John Moores University, who was part of the international team, said: “The discovery of multiple rocky planets with surface temperatures which allow for liquid water make this amazing system an exciting future target in the search for life."
Any evidence of life is likely to be “strong, very strong or conclusive”, the scientists said. It will be done by looking for what molecules are in the atmosphere – if they were to find things like oxygen, and in the right amounts, then it would probably indicate that there was biological activity.
Co-researcher Dr Amaury Triaud, of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, said: “We hope we will know if there's life there within the next decade.”
The TRAPPIST-1 system and its terrestrial planets are a huge milestone because before their discovery, we were basically limited to four candidates – one of which was our own. These new Earth-sized celestial bodies were originally discovered when researchers including lead author of the new study Michaël Gillon of the University of Liège were studying the TRAPPIST-1 star they’d been observing since 2015, and noticed decreases in the star’s brightness, caused by the momentary occlusion of the star by the passage of three of the system’s planets across its surface.
NASA has also been very quick to temper expectations from observers who think this might signal favorable possibilities in terms of the discovery of alien life – the likelihood is slim, and it’s very early yet in terms of figuring out if the planets have other characteristics they share with Earth beyond rockiness and relative warmth owing to their placement in the so-called “habitable zone” of TRAPPIST-1 – like whether they even have atmospheres and the presence of water or other gases like oxygen.
Still, finding this many planet orbiting a star so nearby with even basic Earth-like characteristics is a promising sign, according NASA researchers. It suggests that indeed, as some have theorized, the galaxy could be littered with Earthish planets – far more than we might’ve suspected.
Comments
Post a Comment