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The Trappist-1 System: Now it is Getting Close to Home

NASA

It seems that new Exoplanets are being discovered every day.  And yet, some discoveries can still bring a sense of excitement, awe and wonder.  Such is the case with the seven planet system recently discovered using a multi-telescope effort, based on the original data obtained by the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile.  
 
This new system is made all the more exciting because each of the planets is about the size of our earth and several lie in a region known as the habitable zone where the environment could contain liquid water and thus possibly support life.  Peter Plavchan drops in today to discuss the discovery, its details and the implications for future research. 
 

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.