TRAPPIST-1 e: Scientists Discover Another Planet Like Earth Which May Be Habitable
- Scientists have discovered a new planet they hope may be habitable, though examinations are still ongoing
- According to the scientists, they are still studying to determine if the exoplanet possesses an atmosphere like Earth
- The planet, which is known as TRAPPIST-1 e, is part of a planetary system about 40 light-years away from Earth
Scientists have discovered a new exoplanet and they are studying to determine if it will be habitable like Earth.
The planet TRAPPIST-1 e is said to have some promising features thought to make it similar to Earth, though a lot of studies are still ongoing to prove this.
Source: Getty Images
According to a report by CNN, TRAPPIST-1 e was part of a group of exoplanets discovered in 2016 by five Belgian astronomers.
The report said TRAPPIST-1 e sits in a planetary system about 40 light-years away from Earth.
According to NASA, the exoplanet orbits its sun within six days, unlike the Earth, which takes a longer time.
Néstor Espinoza, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, explained that the star is very small.
He said, per CNN:
“As a planetary system, it’s as alien as it gets. The star is very, very small — the size of Jupiter — and it has at least seven rocky planets orbiting around it. Three of those are in what we call the habitable zone, which means they are close enough to the star that if they had an atmosphere, they could sustain liquid water.”
According to the study, which was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, four observations performed in 2023 with the James Webb Telescope were unable to rule out the presence of an atmosphere, prompting hopes that it could have features similar to Earth.
According to Espinoza:
“Based on the first four observations, we cannot tell that (this planet) doesn’t have an atmosphere, so the dream is still alive — it could still have an atmosphere, and that’s super exciting, because we do have a follow-up program of 15 more observations.”
Further studies needed on TRAPPIST exoplanets
Espinoza said with further studies, scientists will be able to tell if TRAPPIST-1 e has an atmosphere like Earth.
He said:
“Three years ago, before the launch of James Webb, these kinds of studies were science fiction. Now I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to see what kind of atmosphere TRAPPIST-1 e could have — and if it has an Earth-like atmosphere, we’ll be able to tell.”
Also speaking, Sara Seager, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and coauthor of both studies, said TRAPPIST-1 e remains one of the most compelling habitable-zone planets.
Her words, per CNN:
“TRAPPIST-1e remains one of our most compelling habitable-zone planets, and these new results take us a step closer to knowing what kind of world it is. The evidence pointing away from Venus- and Mars-like atmospheres sharpens our focus on the scenarios still in play.”
Source: Getty Images
Scientists show rock that fell from Mars
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that many people on social media are fascinated by the story of a piece of rock said to have fallen from Mars.
People became interested in the rock after it was reportedly sold for a whopping $5.3 million during an auction.
Art house, Sotheby's, which handled the historic sale in New York, explained how the rare rock made it to Niger.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
