Astronomers find seven Earth-size planets where life is possible

Astronomers have found a nearby solar system with seven Earth-sized planets, three of which circle their parent star at the right distance for liquid surface water, bolstering the prospect of discovering extraterrestrial life, research published on Wednesday showed.

The star, known as TRAPPIST-1, is a small, dim celestial body in the constellation Aquarius. It is located about 40 light years away from Earth, close by astronomical standards, but about 44 million years away at the average cruising speed of a commercial passenger jet.

Researchers said the proximity of the system, combined with the proportionally large size of its planets compared to the small star, make it a good target for follow-up studies. They hope to scan the planets' atmospheres for possible chemical fingerprints of life.

"The discovery gives us a hint that finding a second Earth is not just a matter of if, but when,” NASA chief scientist Thomas Zurbuchen said at a news conference on Wednesday.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-planets-idUSKBN1612BM

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/science/trappist-1-exoplanets-nasa.html?_r=0

Apparently the Star is smaller than the sun as some reports say.

RadioPatrol said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/science/trappist-1-exoplanets-nasa.html?_r=0

Apparently the Star is smaller than the sun as some reports say.

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Much smaller. I think they call Trappist-1 a blue dwarf -- small but hot. All seven planets' orbits are closer to its sun than Mercury is to ours, and a "year" on each planet is between one and three Earth weeks.

And about 40 light years away. Or, to put that in Earth human terms - it would take the majority of the time an average worker-bee spends on his/her career just to reach those planets let alone do anything once there. The trip would have to be accomplished using suspended animation which is just a theory today.

Distances in space are so great it is very difficult to even imagine travel between the galaxies. Right now it takes a decade to get to the edge of our own little piece of the universe. Even if we could travel at the speed of light the time and distances are so great that it would take generations of people to get to the nearest star (excluding our sun of course).

I'm not sure why scientists continue searching for Earth-like planets 'cause we sure ain't going there any time soon.

I used to be a big astronomy nut when I was a kid but the more I delved into the science the more questions were generated. It is the ultimate frustrating science and will remain so for eons.

But in that vein may I recommend the recent movie "Passengers". It is unrealistic as hell but the sets are magnificent and as long as we're not going anywhere anyway it is a visual delight. The story is predictable but at least it isn't as silly as the Star Trek franchise.