struggle stations hoi polloi , this could be the real deal . NASA ’s Hubble scope has found grounds that the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system could support large amounts of water .
If that has n’t piqued your interest , it should do . There areseven Earth - sized planetsin the TRAPPIST-1 system , 40 light - years forth , at least three of which are in the legion red dwarf star ’s inhabitable zona .
This study suggests that the verboten satellite in the system , including those in the inhabitable zone , could entertain “ substantial ” measure of water . If confirmed , this could have passably major implications in thesearch for life .
“ [ T]he stunned planets of the TRAPPIST-1 organisation might thus still harbor substantial amounts of water , ” the team led by the University of Geneva write in their composition , which is availableonline .
The researcher amount to this possibility after studying ultraviolet radiation from the planets as see by Hubble . Ultraviolet sun can let out apart mote in the atmosphere of a planet , include water supply evaporation , which can produce hydrogen and O .
This hydrogen gas appear to have escape some of theatmospheresof the TRAPPIST-1 planet , which Hubble was able-bodied to detect . This is a potential indicator that there is water vapour in the air of these major planet .
significantly , the study looked at how much water the satellite may have lost , not how much they still had . For the innermost planets , they suggest they could have lost 20 Earth ocean - Charles Frederick Worth of body of water over the last 8 billion year .
The out planets , however , may have lost just three Earth oceans - worth , suggesting they may still have water today .
“ Our results indicate that atmospherical escape may play an significant purpose in the development of these planet , ” order co - generator Julien de Wit , from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , in astatement .
Now , of course , we ca n’t skip to any conclusions about these planet just yet . We do n’t know for certain if they do have water , and we certainly do n’t live if they could harbor life . But this study is the latest to paint an interesting picture of this organization , which stop the largest number of terra firma - sized worlds we ’ve found in any scheme .
As is always the casing , the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in October 2018 will open up new avenues of subject for planets like this . Until then , we can get a few tantalizing hints at what might be awaiting us out there .
