w  rd 2 the woss

On February 27, 2017, NASA made a groundbreaking discovery. NASA's Spitzer Telescope found the first known solar system with seven earth-size planets around a single star. The distance from the planets to their star indicates that it is highly likely for these planets to have water - and where there is water, there is life. The chance of life is highest in the three planets within the habitable zone. 

 

The system of planets is relatively close to Earth, only about 40 light years, or 235 trillion miles away. It is located in the constellation of Aquarius. These planets are located outside of our solar system, and are hence referred to as "exoplanets." Based on their densities, all of these planets are likely to be terrestrial bodies. The exoplanet system is known as TRAPPIST-1, named so for The Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope in Chile, from which the first three planets were discovered. Compared to our Sun, the star from TRAPPIST-1 is classified as an ultra-cool dwarf. Liquid water could survive even on planets closest to the star.

 

"This is the most exciting result I have seen in the 14 years of Spitzer operations," said Sean Carey, operator of NASA's Spitzer's Science Centre. The discovery of seven planets with the potential to hold life could completely alter our outlook on the universe around us.