One of the first planetary systems that NASA’s mother-daughter team, Natalie and Natasha Batalha, will look at is the Trappist 1 System.
What Is the Trappist 1 System?
The Trappist 1 system is a red dwarf star about the size of Jupiter, with seven exoplanets orbiting it. All seven exoplanets are closer to the Trappist 1 than Mercury is to the sun, but because the temperature of Trappist 1 is so much lower than that of the sun, three of these exoplanets are in the proper temperature zone for potentially supporting liquid water.
Why Is Trappist 1 Important?
Natalie Batalha explains why the exploration of Trappist 1 is so exciting: “These are planets that formed in the earliest moments of the Milky Way. Imagine how life could evolve on a planet given 10–12 billion years of evolution.” Watch the video to learn more about the Batalha's work on Trappist 1.
