The TRAPPIST-1 star, an ultra-cool dwarf, has seven Earth-size planets orbiting it. This artist's concept appeared on the cover of the journal Nature on Feb. 23, 2017. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Posted on 02/23/2017 7:20:25 AM PST by Red Badger
The TRAPPIST-1 star, an ultra-cool dwarf, has seven Earth-size planets orbiting it. This artist's concept appeared on the cover of the journal Nature on Feb. 23, 2017. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Brian Williams has already been there to do a remote broadcast. Amazing how he gets around.
This illustration shows the possible surface of TRAPPIST-1f, one of the newly discovered planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. Scientists using the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes have discovered that there are seven Earth-size planets in the system. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
If they’re close enough to a smaller star for more than one to be in the “Goldilocks Zone” then the proximity would be so close that tidal forces upon one another from gravity would likely be extreme.
So despite the varying distances from their sun, all are ‘habitable’. Change the temp here 1°C and all life is imminently threatened.
How can that be when life across Earth lives & thrives in temperatures that have far greater differences?
Pic-y no worky...............
Unfortunately the planets are not going to tell us anything. As Trappists they have taken a vow of silence.
Doesn’t mean they’re earth-like.
An earth-size planet with a nitrogen atmosphere could be a super Titan with oceans of liquid hydrocarbons on it.
In other words, methane-rich oceans.
Change the temp here 1°C and all life is imminently threatened.
= = =
Now that Trump is Pres, even these planets are threatened with Climate Change.
He is BAD.
All bets for these Trappist planets being habitable are off if further telescopic studies discover the presence of SUVs, Republicans or Capitalists on the planets.
I'm really skeptical of this process. For it to work, the star has to have constant light (no fluctuations). Then, the alignment of the planets has to be aligned on exactly the same plane as the earth so that we can measure the shadow.
To which they refer to themselves as The Empire....
Ruh-roh!
Well we had or chants and we blew it...............
I read NASA's Q&A on this yesterday. If I remember correctly, current technology only gets them so far in identifying planets. A new telescope that overcomes the issue you identify will allow them to, in a couple years, analyze with greater detail and perhaps even identify other planets orbiting around the same star.
N = R ∗ ⋅ f p ⋅ n e ⋅ f ℓ ⋅ f i ⋅ f c ⋅ L
where:
N = the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible (i.e. which are on our current past light cone);
and
R* = the average rate of star formation in our galaxy
fp = the fraction of those stars that have planets
ne = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets
fl = the fraction of planets that could support life that actually develop life at some point
fi = the fraction of planets with life that actually go on to develop intelligent life (civilizations)
fc = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L = the length of time for which such civilizations release detectable signals into space
I am thinking Fp is approaching 100% and so far Ne seems to be 10%
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