TRAPPIST-1 could make or break the extended push to make red dwarfs an astrobiological priority
In the constellation Aquarius, invisible to the naked eye, lies a star that might change history. Home to seven mysterious planets—each around the size of our own Earth—the TRAPPIST-1 system is regarded by some as the crown jewel of astronomy’s efforts to find life in the Milky Way.
But red dwarfs have a dark side. They are not simply smaller, redder versions of our own well-behaved sun; they are turbulent, active sources of extreme radiation. While Earth experiences violent solar outbursts called coronal mass ejections roughly once every 25 years, a planet that orbits TRAPPIST-1 experiences them weekly. And the bigger the host star, the more powerful the CME.
Nonetheless, many astrobiologists remain convinced of the adaptability and persistence of life. After all, we are but one data point here on Earth, and perhaps, in the TRAPPIST-1 system and elsewhere, hardy organisms have adapted to extreme conditions. So the question remains: Do red dwarf stars make our galaxy a lush and vibrant garden or a sparse desert?
Do TRAPPIST-1’s planets have atmospheres? This is what astronomers set out to determine in JWST’s first observing run, called Cycle 1. One team used an infrared camera to examine the innermost planet, TRAPPIST-1b. They concluded that it does not have an atmosphere—resembling Mercury in our own solar system. Two other teams measured the next planet, TRAPPIST-1c. TRAPPIST-1c is also too hot to be in the habitable zone and has been speculated to possess thick clouds of carbon dioxide, like Venus.
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