NASA discovers system of seven Earth-size planets

(Illustration) The scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have discovered a new star system, containing seven planets, three of which are within the so-called habitable zone, as they reported.

The scientists point out that it`s easily possible that the planets contain liquid water. This is the first time, as they pointed out, that a larger number of planets revolving around a single star have been discovered.

– This discovery could be a significant piece in the puzzle of finding habitable environments, places that are conducive to life. Answering the question ‘are we alone’ is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable step forward toward that goal – it was said at the press conference held on the occasion.

The scientists point out that the star in question is smaller and colder than the Sun. One of the planets is nearly the same size as the Earth, receiving nearly the identical amount of light. The system has been named TRAPPIST-1.

The six planets closest to the star are located in the zone where temperatures range from 0 to 100 degrees. The scientists believe that three of those contain oceans, considerably increasing the chance of finding alien life forms there.

Over the next decade, researchers plan to define the atmosphere of each of the newly discovered planets and discover whether there`s really water on their surfaces, as well as to look for the signs of life. Although the distance of 40 light years doesn`t seem that far, it will take a lot of time to gather all information about this star system. However, they add, from the point of view of science, this is the greatest opportunity to find life outside of the Solar System.

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