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| © Provided by BGR |
By Mike Wehner, BGR
Ever since astronomers announced the discovery of seven exoplanets
around the star called TRAPPIST-1, researchers have been diving into the
data in an attempt to determine what the planets are like. Early on,
the prospects for potentially habitable worlds seemed good, but
subsequent models suggested that the star at the heart of the system may have burned off any atmosphere the planets once had.
Now,
a new study claims to offer a slightly more optimistic scenario that
gives at least one of the planets, TRAPPIST-1e, the chance at sustaining
an ocean on its surface. The research was published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The
TRAPPIST-1 system is incredibly special because it’s packed with seven
planets, and three of them are near what we consider to be the habitable
zone of the central star. However, scientists think the star had an
extremely intense early phase that would likely have scorched the
planets, stripping their atmosphere and moisture away long ago.
In
studying each of the individual planets, the fourth most distant from
the star caught the attention of scientists. Using advanced models to
predict the fate of each world, the research team arrived at the
conclusion that TRAPPIST-1e may have escaped the fate of its peers and
could still support an ocean on its surface.
The University of Washington, which led the work, breaks down the findings like so:
TRAPPIST-1 b, the closest to the star, is a blazing world too hot even for clouds of sulfuric acid, as on Venus, to form.
Planets
c and d receive slightly more energy from their star than Venus and
Earth do from the sun and could be Venus-like, with a dense,
uninhabitable atmosphere.
TRAPPIST-1 e is the most likely of the
seven to host liquid water on a temperate surface, and would be an
excellent choice for further study with habitability in mind.
The
outer planets f, g and h could be Venus-like or could be frozen,
depending on how much water formed on the planet during its evolution.
Going
forward, the paper could act as a roadmap for further study of the
planet and its brethren, especially after more advanced exoplanet
hunters like the James Webb Space Telescope begin their work in the
years to come.
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