Download NASA Discovers The Entire New Solar System Called

NASA Discovers An Entirely New Solar
System Called TRAPPIST-1 Where Alien Life
Could Indeed Exist
Science & Technology
For decades, extraterrestrial and UFO enthusiast groups have been hoping for signs of life on other planets; an
idea that seemed quite farfetched to others.
However due to a new recent discovery made by NASA, those wishing for such life may just get what they have
been hoping for!
A new solar system discovered
According to an article written by Henry Bodkin for The Telegraph, “Life may have evolved on at least three
planets within a newly discovered solar system that is 39 light years from Earth.” This [mentioned] article was
written in response to an announcement made by NASA on Wednesday in which they announced the discovery
of an entirely new solar system.
TRAPPIST- 1
This newly discovered solar system has been named TRAPPIST-1, and for those wishing to know more regarding
it, the discovery team of the said system has set up a special website where you can read all about it.
In the about section of the mentioned website, the following information has been written: “TRAPPIST-1 is a
planetary system, located 12 parsecs away from the Solar system (39 light years), near the ecliptic, within the
constellation of Aquarius. Around a star which is 12 times less massive than the Sun and only slightly larger than
Jupiter, there are at least seven planets in orbit. The initial discovery was made by TRAPPIST, the TRAnsiting Planets
and PlanetesImals Small Telescope”
More regarding the planets (in the new solar system)
According to NASA, “researchers using TRAPPIST [initially] announced they had discovered three planets in the
system. Assisted by several ground-based telescopes, including the European Southern Observatory's Very Large
Telescope, Spitzer confirmed the existence of two of these planets and discovered five additional ones, increasing
the number of known planets in the system to seven.”
But why all the hype?
Andrew Griffin for Independent News states that, “At least three of the seven planets represent the “holy grail for
planet-hunting astronomers”, because they sit within the “temperate zone” and are the right temperature to allow
alien life to flourish, the researchers have said. And they are capable of having oceans, again suggesting that life
could flourish on them.”
So does this mean that alien life could truly exist then?
According to information given in Griffin’s article (mentioned above) “No other star system has ever been found to
contain so many Earth-sized and rocky planets, of the kind thought to be necessary to contain aliens.” The article
goes on to say that “The researchers might soon be able to find evidence of life on the planets, they [the researchers]
have said. British astronomer Dr Chris Copperwheat, from Liverpool John Moores University, who was part of the
international team, said: “The discovery of multiple rocky planets with surface temperatures which allow for liquid
water make this amazing system an exciting future target in the search for life. Any evidence of life is likely to be
“strong, very strong or conclusive”, the scientists said. It will be done by looking for what molecules are in the
atmosphere – if they were to find things like oxygen, and in the right amounts, then it would probably indicate that
there was biological activity".
What are the expectations?
As we can see by reading all the quoted information given above, the research team involved with the whole
TRAPPIST-1 project have very high hopes regarding their belief that life might actually exist on one or more of
the discovered planets. But just how long do enthusiasts following this story have to wait to know for sure? Coresearcher Dr Amaury Triaud, of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge has been quoted as saying: “We hope
we will know if there's life there within the next decade.” So the wait should not be too long.
But if not now, then indeed one day
Even if no life is discovered to exist within the new solar system in our lifetime, it is highly likely that it will indeed
one day be a reality. Ignas AG Snellen of the Leiden Observatory was quoted as stating that “TRAPPIST-1 burns
hydrogen so slowly that it will live for another 10 trillion years – more than 700 times longer than the Universe has
existed so far, which is arguably enough time for life to evolve.” Debbie Nel