Science: New Life on Other Planets? by Kaylee Salony

An amazing new outbreak has just been discovered!  According to scientists, there are other planets that may be able to sustain life.
Scientists have found three Earth-sized planets that are revolving around a star.  These planets are located 40 light-years away and revolve around a cool, dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1.  Last September, scientists tracked the star through the sky until December, and analyzed starlight and brightness.
“Astronomers say three recently discovered planets similar to the Earth’s size and temperature may have conditions that could sustain life” (Huffington Post).  The three planets are almost equal to the size of the Earth, and receive four times the amount of radiation we receive from the sun, which means they may be in the “Habitat Zone.”  The “Habitat Zone” determines the temperature of the planets by how close the star they orbit around is.  There is a possibility of water on these planets, which is the key element of life.  Scientists say that these three planets may be tidally locked like the Earth’s moon.  One planet is always day, while the other is perpetually night.  Both of the planets face one way towards TRAPPIST-1.

If a planet is not too cold or hot, it has a possibility to sustain life. All three of the planets that revolve around TRAPPIST-1, are able to. Even though TRAPPIST-1 is .5 the size of our sun, it gives off enough radiation for possible life.  Scientists are quite unsure about how long the planets orbit around the star, but they say it could range from 4 to 73 days.  Since the planets have such a small orbital period, they could be 20 to 100 times closer to their sun then we are to ours. 

Even though the planets are 40 light –years away, scientists will never be able to reach them in our lifetime.  It will take millions of years to do so. They are still going to try and find life on these planets, by using very high power telescopes. They will be able to use the James Webb Telescope in 2018. It will help scientists learn more about the atmosphere on other planets, and that is the key to determining if there is life.

This could be the next huge outbreak in science!   It’s amazing how it is a possibility for these planets to hold life.  We will just have to wait and see.