Shooting Beyond the Stars and Into the Solar System

The theory of life on a planet other than Earth has been just that- a theory. The biggest flaw of the theory is that liquid water is needed to sustain any living species. New evidence has appeared, proving extraterrestrial creatures could exist, thanks to scientists at NASA.

Those at NASA and the European Southern Observatory have recently discovered a new solar system that contains seven Earth-like planets. The system is named “TRAPPIST-1 and is approximately forty light years away (in cosmic terms, this is relatively close to the Solar System) .Three out of the seven exoplanets exist in a habitable zone. In fact, the region known as the “goldilocks zone” has climate conditions that are neither too hot nor too cold. Thus, liquid water exists.

Discovery of these new planets are unprecedented in the fact that all the planets seem to have the same type of terrain as Earth. They also all seem to be the same size as planet Earth, pointing further to the idea that “alien” life is possible. Because the TRAPPIST-1 replicates conditions of our Solar System, it also sheds light on how earthlings can one day live there. The star is younger than the sun, and burns hydrogen at a slower rate, allowing it to live for at least another 10 trillion years. Scientists believe that when the Sun dies in 5 billion years, the planets will be used as refuge.

NASA has been monitoring the exoplanets of TRAPPIST-1 since 2010. Although scientists are enthusiastic about all the opportunities related to it, they all agree that it still needs to be further researched. The TRAPPIST-1 has not confirmed sustainable life for believers of alien life but absolutely reignited astronomical inquiry throughout the world.