NASA Just Found A Solar System With 7 Earth-Like Planets
Jolene Creighton 6 hours ago Categories: Hard Science Tags: NASA, planets, space


An Ocean of Worlds

Today, scientists working with telescopes at the European Southern Observatory and NASA announced a remarkable new discovery: An entire system of Earth-sized planets. If that’s not enough, the team asserts that the density measurements of the planets indicates that the six innermost are Earth-like rocky worlds.

And that’s just the beginning.

Three of the planets lie in the star’s habitable zone. If you aren’t familiar with the term, the habitable zone (also known as the “goldilocks zone”) is the region surrounding a star in which liquid water could theoretically exist. This means that all three of these alien worlds may have entire oceans of water, dramatically increasing the possibility of life. The other planets are less likely to host oceans of water, but the team states that liquid water is still a possibility on each of these worlds.

Summing the work, lead author Michaël Gillon notes that this solar system has the largest number of Earth-sized planets yet found and the largest number of worlds that could support liquid water: “This is an amazing planetary system — not only because we have found so many planets, but because they are all surprisingly similar in size to the Earth!”

Co-author Amaury Triaud notes that the star in this system is an “ultracool dwarf,” and he clarifies what this means in relation to the planets: “The energy output from dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1 is much weaker than that of our Sun. Planets would need to be in far closer orbits than we see in the Solar System if there is to be surface water. Fortunately, it seems that this kind of compact configuration is just what we see around TRAPPIST-1.”

Reaching Another World

The system is just 40 light-years away. On a cosmic scale, that’s right next door. Of course, practically speaking, it would still take us hundreds of millions of years to get there with today’s technology – but again, it is notable in that the find speaks volumes about the potential for life-as-we-know-it beyond Earth.

Moreover, the technology of tomorrow could get us to this system a lot faster.

These new discoveries ultimately mean that TRAPPIST-1 is of monumental importance for future study. The Hubble Space Telescope is already being used to search for atmospheres around the planets, and Emmanuël Jehin, a scientist who also worked on the research, asserts that future telescopes could allow us to truly see into the heart of this system: “With the upcoming generation of telescopes, such as ESO’s European Extremely Large Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, we will soon be able to search for water and perhaps even evidence of life on these worlds

https://www.google.com/amp/s/futuri...-7-earth-like-planets/amp/?client=safari

I'm a huge fan of space research and NASA, but this elation about habitable planets has to be toned down. It's beginning to mimic that awful TV show "Expedition Unknown" where the host is "preparing to find new evidence" but never finds anything factual at all.

We can't even get to Mars, much less to some other solar system. We may be able to someday, but that day is a helluva long way off. If ever.

If we had sent voyager towards these rocky planets, how many more years would it be before it arrived?...if there was intelligent life there that were capable of a SETI type of listening system, they MAY finally have received the radio signal that it's on its way....40 light years is a long, long ways off...

Several hundred thousand years at best.

We will never visit planets around other stars unless some totally unanticipated means of propulsion shows up.

Don't they have Hyper Drive like in the movies?

"Ludicrous speed"

Let's move there leave Dumbocrats here!

I agree and disagree...we will figure out a way, one way or another, it's what we do. Mankind is in its infancy technology wise...we've only had radio transmissions for about a hundred years and have only had powered flight for about the same length of time...here we are, 100 or so years later. We've landed on the moon and came home, we've landed on Mars and are remotely operating solar powered "rovers" there from "Urth", where they're taking soil samples, pictures, etc. and sending the results back home...We've flown past, orbited and taken pictures of every planet and their moons...all in the past hundred years....the blink of an eye time wise. Looking and reading at some of the future technologies now under research and development, boggles the mind.

yeah, we humans are on the verge of something big. can't describe it, but it's there, no doubt.

we've come so far, so fast. and in the last 100 years it's been breathtaking. shoot, in the last thirty years we've seen the advent of al gore's internet invention about revolutionize our lives..and the cell phones galore. no need for land lines for phones in Afrikur, just use satellites, and cell towers.

if our extra-terrestrial keepers and overseers keep feeding us information, there's no tellin' what we might bring on line in the near future.

afterall, what's time to a hawg?

I actually believe these are God's backup planets when he or we punch the red button on this one. And that might not be too far off based on the way folks are tracking.

BTW forget us getting there. What if "they" get here first!?

You'd only need to travel at half the speed of light to get there in eighty years. Seems within our technological ability, but it would require a multi-generational journey, unless we can figure out suspended animation.

If I were a liberal I'd give you the answer....

NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE BLACK

If I were an alien, I'd tell you...

SMOKE EM IF YOU GOT EM....

HA! laffin'

Touche'

A ship built from neutronium could make such a voyage.

The government denies it exists, but there are laws preventing public ownership. Its the reason everyone is looking around on the ice in Antarctica. Imagine shooting a bullet that never slows down.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutronium#Neutronium_and_the_periodic_table

the High Priests at NASA have known for some time that we've got to get a breeding population of humans off this earth, and we need to do it soon.

ol Bill Cooper (who?) knew that, way back in the day.

but time marches on.

the Universe is here for our taking. just ask ringman's opinion. i'm sure he might have one.

Quite a big revelation for an agency that is a shadow of its former prominence.
We've got enough problems here - why go looking for more elsewhere?

Supposedly Ben Rich said some pretty interesting things just before he died....don't google his name and get caught up in links though...your electronics won't like the results...

Maybe survival of species?


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/25766...ose-to-earth-and-we-didnt-see-it-coming/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera

Because the answer is out there......

Seeing as .5 C = 93,000 miles/second. And 1 G acceleration is 32 ft/sec/sec. I get about six months of constant 1 G acceleration to reach target velocity. And, of course, another six months to decelerate. (Folks, please feel free to check my math. And correct me if I made a mistake.)

That seems doable.

Except for that pesky E=mv2 thing. Where the energy required to accelerate increases exponentially with speed. Coupled with the problem, that the mass of your fuel to accelerate and decelerate must also be accelerated.

A multi-generational craft capable of interstellar flight measured in decades and unsupported colonization would have to be comparable to a modern day US aircraft carrier in size.

I can not comprehend the amount of fuel it would take to hold such a craft to a year of 1 G acceleration.

It would require fleets and fleets of equivalently sized tankers to accompany the vessel.

I wonder if that amount of hydrogen and oxygen could be extracted from this planet.

'Establish a breeding population'.... on a planet 40 light years away???

If you leave here at age 30 + travel time, they will be how old????

With food and fuel for 40 years, if you travel at light speed???

To date the fastest manned space travel was less than 7 miles per second....

Unless we put them to sleep, which we can't do yet...

And that's if the first planet they get to looks good.

And that's if these planets are still there when they get there........... the most recent picture is 40 years old.

We can do amzing things, and maybe one day, but not soon.....IMHO

But they may be the planets god already pressed the red button on.

Yet god can perfectly restore planet earth in a nano second, so why bother with the other planets?

God in his infinite wisdom has a back up plan ? Scary for sure if they're anything like us as we've pretty much screwed the pooch.

God doesn't have a backup plan. He has a FINAL plan and he won't be leaving it with men in charge. He's be running it personally. There will be no screwups.

"WE" getting there the first time will most obviously be not actual people. Probes will be sent first, and very likely the first probes will be passed by faster models before the first sent arrives.

Yup. That's the other side of my theory!!

what is an Urth like planet?

"Three of the planets lie in the star’s habitable zone."

Scientists have known for a long time that there are many planets in some stars habitable zones. They have estimated that there are hundreds of thousands in the Milky Way alone based on the ones they can see. They don't any way to tell if there's water on those planets yet.

What's he waiting for?

The Bible says it will come like a thief in the night, quickly and unexpected. God doesn't get in a hurry. He gave the Canaanites 500 years to clean up their act before he sent in the Hebrews to destroy them. If the Hebrews hadn't quit before the job was done, many of the problems in the middle east today wouldn't be happening.

By the time we figure out how to get something to a planet 40 light years away and buy the time said thing gets there, mankind will be long gone from this planet.

What if those planets don't have processed foods and GMO? Every female looks like a Swedish bikini model and hunting truly exotic game is a sign of manhood.....and there's no blacks or diaper heads.

Forty light years away! Could be they self destructed 39 years ago and we simply don't know about it yet.

Good help is hard to find.

We don't even know WTF all lives on this planet yet these people think they can guess what's on a planet that's 40 light years away?




Dave

We need the Star Ship Enterprise, Kirk at the helm. "Give it all ya got Mr. Scott"

Earth 1st---We'll mine the rest later.

Youre assuming conventional rocket fuel. What about nuclear? Alternatively solar wind power.

If their are more Urf like planets, does that mean that there are also more Gus(s) out there?

Forty years and a handful of blue pills - yahoo!

Dreamer! Here's what actually out there.

Freeman Dyson and friends had the idea fifty years ago...

https://www.ted.com/talks/george_dyson_on_project_orion

Project Orion

What you math guys are forgetting is as a ship begins to approach light speed the mass of the ship increases thus requiring more power to drive it.

Ruined my travel plans - they look angry!

As I understand it, this effect isn't significant till much closer to the speed of light than 50%.

Tracks, I get it, but we're a long way from worrying about that one.

So far the fastest 'Space-Man Travel Speed' has been a little UNDER 7 miles per second, and if what everyone says is true, that we need to be approaching light speed..... 186,000MPS ...... we have a long way to go..........

So hot ... tentot.

Second from left looks like whoopi goldberg, third from left has a good set of tits.


Can't be sure but the one on the far right...I have vague memories of waking up to something like that when I was young and stupid.

I thought that 3rd one had a set like the 1950s pinups came adorned with.... approach em wrong and you could put yer eye out....

They can guess. That's allowed.

thinking the 3rd from the left had a lift and separate procedure.

The others look like foot longs on roids.

Hanco, what if there aint no deer. I say we call it Utopia and send dimocraps.

...and they're glaring at YOU!

Yeah, Gus. Utopia is just around the corner.

If there is life out there and they have the technology to get here.....

We are fughed

Yes, why?

And some gals here think they got it rough making san'wiches!

Where the heck you think he came from?

It reminds me of something. Oh yes, Its the universal female body language meaning go to hell, dont go there, you gave me a headache and you want what, youre a worm, make my day sucker glare stare. Ive seen tha....uh, never mind.

Yep - that is THE look!

might want to read up on Tuatha De' Danann if'n you ever git a bit of spare time. who were they? where did they come from? where did they go?

read enough and there ain't no tellin' what a feller might learn.

Well, they've known we were here for a while now, since we've been sending out radio signals every which way since the 1920s and TV signals since the 1940s, both of which travel at light speed.

Please explain what the nuclear reactor will use for thrusting mass.

"The principle is that you use magnetic fields to collect and concentrate hydrogen atoms from the near vacuum of space, and then a fusion rocket would turn some of this into propulsion for speed and a fusion reactor would convert some into power to maintain the fields." Link

This.

Okay, I thought we were speaking of technology which might mature before the 22'nd century arives.

Everyone forgets, when speaking of fusion, or fission fuelrd rockets, you need something to PUSH upon the rocket to gain acceleration.