Astronomers discover 7 Earth-like planets orbiting nearby star

[n2doc]

(CNN)Astronomers have found at least seven Earth-like planets orbiting the same star 40 light-years away, NASA announced at news conference Wednesday.

This discovery outside of our solar system is rare because the planets have the winning combination of being similar in size to Earth and temperate, meaning they could have water on their surfaces and potentially support life.

all for now
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/22/world/new-exoplanets-discovery-nasa/index.html

[True Dough]

1. I nominate Donald Trump

to immediate set forth and explore those planets. Go fearless leader, go!

[Fozzledick]

3. Short sighted

Sure, that would solve our immediate problem, but if there is intelligent life there would you really want him as our representative to make first contact? They'd probably decide to wipe us out in self defense.

[True Dough]

7. Nah, not short sighted at all

Based on our existing technology, it would take many years for Trump to arrive at any of those planets. He's 70. The aliens would just have the remains of an Orange Cheeto to examine by the time the space craft touches down on their turf.

[SCantiGOP]

12. Let's make outer space great again

Tell Trump that all the women have large chests and that the natives worship hotel-building golden-haired egomaniacs. He may not be able to resist.

[True Dough]

13. I like it!

I like it a lot!

[n2doc]

2. more info

http://www.space.com/35790-seven-earth-size-planets-trappist-1-discovery.html

A bizarre alien system

TRAPPIST-1 is an ultracool dwarf star that's only slightly larger than the planet Jupiter and about 2,000 times dimmer than the sun.

The research team, led by Michaël Gillon of the University of Liège in Belgium, originally studied the star using the TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST), an instrument at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. (This explains the star's common name; the object is also known as 2MASS J23062928-0502285.)

TRAPPIST spotted regular dimming events, which the team interpreted as evidence of three different planets crossing the face of, or transiting, the star. In May 2016, Gillon and his colleagues announced the existence of these three alien worlds, called TRAPPIST-1b, TRAPPIST-1c and TRAPPIST-1d. All three, the team reported, are roughly the size of Earth and may be capable of supporting life.

[PJMcK]

4. Do I understand the image correctly?

The orbits of the Trappist-1 planets are very close to their ultra cool dwarf star. In fact, the orbit of the outermost planet observed (or hypothesized?) is much closer to its star than Mercury is to our Sun.

Am I seeing this correctly? Thanks.

[n2doc]

5. Yes. The star is a red dwarf

So it doesn't put out nearly as much energy as our sun.

[PJMcK]

6. Thank you (n/t)

[Stellar]

8. This is so exciting!

NASA Telescope Reveals Largest Batch of Earth-Size, Habitable-Zone Planets Around Single Star

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-telescope-reveals-largest-batch-of-earth-size-habitable-zone-planets-around

[shenmue]

9. BBC article

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39034050

[Warren DeMontague]

10. I gotta say, I take a jaundiced eye to these "HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW" NASA deals, but this one

is pretty cool.

[opiate69]

11. Ditto that.

Now, I'm really wanting to hear more about the star, like is it fairly stable, or does is often emit powerful stellar ejections?, are the planets tidally locked?, how old is the system? All of the other little details that would help indicate whether life could proliferate. Very cool find, though. And now that hubble is having a gander at it, there should be lots more interesting data before too long.