Exploring Alien Worlds With NASA’s Webb Space Telescope: TRAPPIST-1 System
During its first operating cycle, the James Webb Space Telescope will set its sights on the TRAPPIST-1 system, an incredible collection of seven rocky exoplanets…
TRAPPIST-1 News
TRAPPIST-1 is a small, ultra-cool dwarf star located about 40 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. It gained significant attention in 2017 when researchers announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting it, several of which are located in the star’s habitable zone where conditions could potentially support liquid water and possibly life. The star and its planets are named after the TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) project, which initially identified these exoplanets. This planetary system is particularly intriguing because of the potential for the planets to have atmospheric interaction, given their close proximities to each other. TRAPPIST-1’s system provides a valuable laboratory for studying the atmospheres, climates, and potential habitability of Earth-sized exoplanets under conditions very different from those in our own solar system, offering a unique window into planetary science and astrobiology.
Orbital Harmony of TRAPPIST-1 Planets Could Survive Only Limited Early Bombardment
Fragile orbits of seven exoplanets limit late arrival of water. Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony, and U.S. and European researchers…
TRAPPIST-1: How Flat Can a Planetary System Get?
The planets of the solar system all orbit the Sun more-or-less in a plane. Compared to the Earth’s orbit, which defines the plane at zero…
Astronomers Uncover New Details About the Remarkable Seven Rocky Planets of TRAPPIST-1
Precise measurements reveal that the exoplanets of the system discovered by ULiège researchers have remarkably similar densities, which provides new clues about their compositions. A…
The 7 Rocky Earth-Size TRAPPIST-1 Planets Have Remarkably Similar Densities
Precise measurements reveal that the exoplanets have remarkably similar densities, which provides clues about their composition. The red dwarf star PIST-1 is home to the…
Surprising Number of Exoplanets Could Host Life – Some Stars Could Have As Many as 7 Habitable Planets in Orbit
Our solar system has one habitable planet — Earth. A new study shows other stars could have as many as seven Earth-like exoplanets in the…
New Spectrograph on Subaru Telescope Shows “Earth-Like” TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Orbits Not Misaligned
Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope have determined that the Earth-like planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are not significantly misaligned with the rotation of the star….
TRAPPIST-1 Exposed to Heavy Bombardment of Charged Particles
TRAPPIST-1 is a system of seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star about 120 light-years away. The star, and hence its system of planets,…
New Climate Models of Small Star TRAPPIST 1’s Seven Worlds
Not all stars are like the sun, so not all planetary systems can be studied with the same expectations. New research from a University of…
TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets Reveal Clues About Habitable Worlds
TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool red dwarf star that is slightly larger, but much more massive, than the planet Jupiter, located about 40 light-years from the…
Spitzer and Kepler Provide New Clues About TRAPPIST-1 Planet Compositions
In the year since NASA announced the seven Earth-sized planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system, scientists have been working hard to better understand these enticing worlds…
TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets Potentially Hold More Water Than Earth
A new study has found that the seven planets orbiting the nearby ultra-cool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are all made mostly of rock, and some could…
Astronomers Conduct First Atmospheric Survey of Earth-Sized Planets Orbiting TRAPPIST-1
Worlds in the star’s habitable zone are not smothered under primordial atmospheres Only 40 light-years away — a stone’s throw on the scale of our…
TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets May Have Liquid Water on Their Surfaces
New research reveals that several of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system are at the right distance from their star for liquid water to exist…
Astronomers Reveal TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System is Older Than Our Solar System
Scientists now have a good estimate for the age of the TRAPPIST-1 system, revealing that it is up to twice as old as our own…