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Posted: |
Feb 22, 2017 - 5:34 PM
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By: |
Solium
(Member)
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Major Discovery! 7 Earth-Size Alien Planets Circle Nearby Star
Astronomers have never seen anything like this before: Seven Earth-size alien worlds orbit the same tiny, dim star, and all of them may be capable of supporting life as we know it, a new study reports.
"Looking for life elsewhere, this system is probably our best bet as of today," study co-author Brice-Olivier Demory, a professor at the Center for Space and Habitability at the University of Bern in Switzerland, said in a statement.
The exoplanets circle the star TRAPPIST-1, which lies just 39 light-years from Earth — a mere stone's throw in the cosmic scheme of things. So speculation about the alien worlds' life-hosting potential should soon be informed by hard data, study team members said.
Source:
http://www.space.com/35790-seven-earth-size-planets-trappist-1-discovery.html
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This is interesting stuff, I hadn't heard.
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The star they revolve around is much weaker than ours, possibly causing the planets to orbit nearer, according to an article from the NYT.
But the way they are pictured, and their location in orbit near their sun, makes scientists believe they could support life systems of some sort.
And, only 40 light years away! Just around the corner, spacewise...
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All of which only means to me that there are 7 other planets with 7 other geek-filled film music message boards, none of which can add up to any good for the rest of the universe, that's for sure.... 
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