The “first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single” star, called TRAPPIST-1, has been discovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA announced during a press conference on February 22.
The exoplanet discovery has been called a major step toward figuring out if there is other life “out there.”
“This discovery could be a significant piece in the puzzle of finding habitable environments, places that are conducive to life,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Answering the question ‘are we alone’ is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable step forward toward that goal.”
The new finding sets a record for the greatest number of habitable-zone planets around a single star outside our solar system, NASA says. The announcement that three planet were found was made in May 2016 and NASA announced the additional four discoveries on Wednesday.
The new findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
0 nhận xét:
Post a Comment