Posted on Feb 23, 2017
Astronomers discover 7 Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby star
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(CNN) — Astronomers have found at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the same star 40 light-years away, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The findings were also announced at a news conference at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
This discovery outside of our solar system is rare because the planets have the winning combination of being similar in size to Earth and being all temperate, meaning they could have water on their surfaces and potentially support life.
"This is the first time that so many planets of this kind are found around the same star," said Michaël Gillon, lead study author and astronomer at the University of Liège in Belgium.
The seven exoplanets were all found in tight formation around an ultracool dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1. Estimates of their mass also indicate that they are rocky planets, rather than being gaseous like Jupiter. Three planets are in the habitable zone of the star, known as TRAPPIST-1e, f and g, and may even have oceans on the surface.
This discovery outside of our solar system is rare because the planets have the winning combination of being similar in size to Earth and being all temperate, meaning they could have water on their surfaces and potentially support life.
"This is the first time that so many planets of this kind are found around the same star," said Michaël Gillon, lead study author and astronomer at the University of Liège in Belgium.
The seven exoplanets were all found in tight formation around an ultracool dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1. Estimates of their mass also indicate that they are rocky planets, rather than being gaseous like Jupiter. Three planets are in the habitable zone of the star, known as TRAPPIST-1e, f and g, and may even have oceans on the surface.
Astronomers discover 7 Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby star
Posted from cnn.comPosted in these groups: 
Astronomy
Astronomy
Posted 8 y ago
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This is a brown dwarf star so I wonder if it's only been a few million years since it cooled from being a red giant so I'm wondering if life is not much more than protozoa?
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Great discovery Lets send all the Buttercups Snow Flaked and Progressives there to the New Un spoiled world so they can screw it Up like they are going here...
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Thanks for sharing SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL. I had noticed this post a couple days ago and had considered sharing. I am glad you shared it. It is interesting that astronomers are observing 40-year-old-light form these seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the same star 40 light-years away.
God knows whether life exists on any or all of those planets. In any event the story is interesting and it may well spawn science fiction stories, etc.
God knows whether life exists on any or all of those planets. In any event the story is interesting and it may well spawn science fiction stories, etc.
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