Did you tune in for NASA’s big press conference today? Get excited, it’s a habitable-zone planet! Three of them, to be more precise. Goldilocks has sisters!
After much speculation following the announcement of the announcement (it wasn’t ever going to be aliens, folks), NASA gleefully announced that the Spitzer Space Telescope has found the first known system of SEVEN Earth-sized planets orbiting a single star.
If conditions are right any of them could have water, and further observations will show whether they do. Maybe we shouldn’t be getting ready for the beach just yet, but do you know where your towel is? It’s best to be prepared.
The exoplanets, as all planets outside our own Solar System are called, are likely to be rocky based on their densities. They’re also very close together, which could make for a stunning display.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A mere 39 light years away, the Trappist-1 system looks like a great travel destination. Tourism marketing has already started!
I don’t know about you, but I’m sold. Lets go!
For more information about Spitzer, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spitzer
For more information on the TRAPPIST-1 system, visit: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/trappist1
For more information on exoplanets, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/exoplanets
Beth Voigt,
Too bad we just don’t know at the moment, just how “Earth like” these planets really are. Right now anything thoughts that they have life, let alone liquid water on the surface may turn out to be a fantasy. Keep in mind that people once imagined both Venus and Mars to be much more Earth like than they actually were in reality. When we get the technology to actually visit and explore these worlds, we maybe just as disappointed.
If you’re looking for a print of this you can find it here, the wall cling is a pretty great option:
https://www.stompinggrounds.com/collections/prints/nasa-posters