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sl8

(13,584 posts)
Wed Mar 28, 2018, 07:41 PM Mar 2018

TRAPPIST-1 system may have too much water to support life

From http://www.astronomy.com/news/2018/03/trappist-1-system-may-have-too-much-water-to-support-life

TRAPPIST-1 system may have too much water to support life

The planets around TRAPPIST-1 are estimated to be between 15 and 50 percent water by mass — Earth is only 0.02 percent.

By Amber Jorgenson | Published: Wednesday, March 28, 2018


The seven planets that tightly orbit TRAPPIST-1 likely underwent an inward migration over time, influencing the state of water on the planets’ surfaces.
NASA/JPL-Caltech


Hope was ignited in the science community when researchers discovered that three of the seven Earth-size planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, a cool red dwarf about 40 light-years from Earth, are within the star’s habitable zone and could have flowing water on their surfaces. But while the presence of water undoubtedly increases the likelihood of habitability for these planets, it doesn’t automatically make them safe havens for life. In fact, an overabundance of water suggests just the opposite, and new research conducted by scientists at Arizona State and Vanderbilt Universities indicates that the TRAPPIST-1 system actually has too much water to support life.

Each of TRAPPIST-1’s planets are roughly the size of Earth and are tightly packed together, with all of their orbits keeping them closer to their host star than Mercury is to the Sun. While the exoplanet’s are similar in size to Earth, measurements of their masses and volumes show that they’re much less dense. They’re too light to be rocky and, unlike other low-density planets of similar size, too compact to be primarily composed of atmospheric gas.

“The TRAPPIST-1 planets are too small in mass to hold onto enough gas to make up the density deficit," said Arizona State University geoscientist, Cayman Unterborn, in a press release. "Even if they were able to hold onto the gas, the amount needed to make up the density deficit would make the planet much puffier than we see.”

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TRAPPIST-1 system may have too much water to support life (Original Post) sl8 Mar 2018 OP
K & R Thank you for posting this fascinating read Wwcd Mar 2018 #1
Amazing discovery! Snackshack Mar 2018 #2

Snackshack

(2,540 posts)
2. Amazing discovery!
Wed Mar 28, 2018, 08:11 PM
Mar 2018

Unfortunately it was announced that the James Webb Space Telescope launch is going to be delayed further. Originally it was supposed to launch this year but got pushed to spring 2019 and now pushed to summer 2020.

Hopefully it will not be delayed further and will reach its orbit successfully. The knowledge it could provide thru observations could be / will be astounding. Hubble amazed with what it can/could see. James Webb TS is much more powerful and will most likely amaze us in ways we have not even imagined like Hubble.

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