Is there life âout there?â Maybe â and weâre at least a little closer to finding out. This as NASA confirms the discovery of a record seven Earth-size exoplanets orbiting a tiny star in the constellation Aquarius. The find is giving scientists new hope that life could exist outside our solar system.
Astronomers who detected the planets say they could potentially support water on the surface, depending on several other properties of the planets. Three of the planets are within a â quote â "habitable" zone where life is considered possible. The planetsorbit Trappist-One, a low-mass, cool star some 40 light years away.
But donât start planning your rocket ship trip just yet. While, in astronomical terms, the system of planets is considered to be âclose to us,â theyâre not exactly âaround the corner. These planets are scientifically known as âexoplanetsâ because theyâre located outside of our solar system. How far away are they? About 235-trillion milesâĻor about 40 light-years from Earth.