New Delhi:
The scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have discovered two planets that can hold life on them in TRAPPIST-1, a parallel solar system which possesses planets just like our Milky Way.
The TRAPPIST-1 was discovered in February last year, and since then, the scientists at NASA are working on finding more about the solar system. The TRAPPIST-1 is considered to be one of the best places to find intelligent lifeforms in the galaxy.
The TRAPPIST-1 holds seven Earth-sized planets orbiting around a dwarf star. These planets are named from b to H by the scientists, based on their distance from their Sun.
The scientists are able to find out how many days it takes the planets to orbit through a ‘transit’ method in which they study the tiny blips in light emitted from the dwarf star.
The experts at the Planetary Science Institute have dug a bit deeper to find how hot the planets are and whether they can support life or not.
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The TRAPPIST d and TRAPPIST e were found to be the most habitable as these “new Earths” are neither too far or too close to the host star and are presumed to have water on them.
While the TRAPPIST d is said to have a temperature of around 59F and is said that it could be covered by a “global ocean”, the TRAPPIST e is said to have a similar climate as that of Antarctica, but the scientists have not ruled out any aquatic life form under the ice sheets.
The seven planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system orbit a small and much cooler Sun. Astronomer Professor Ignas Snellen of the Netherland’s Leiden University, said, “Although the star is relatively nearby that is still very very far for humans to travel. It would take hundreds of thousands of years to get there, maybe more.”
