TRAPPIST-1 facts for kids
TRAPPIST-1 (or 2MASS J23062928-0502285) is an ultracool red dwarf star located almost 40 light years away from the Sun in the constellation of Aquarius. The red dwarf is known for having seven Earth-sized rocky planets around it. These planets were discovered between 2016 and 2017, and are likley rocky and some may even have liquid water on them. Four of these planets (d, e, f, and g) are in the habitable zone, so they are most likely to have liquid water. Three other planets here (b, c, and h) are not in the habitable zone, and are likely not habitable.
In August of 2017, the Hubble Space Telescope possibly found traces of possible water in the atmospheres of some of the TRAPPIST-1 planets.
Images for kids
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TRAPPIST-1 compared to the size of the Sun.
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Relative sizes, densities, and illumination of the TRAPPIST-1 system compared to the inner planets of the Solar System.
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Planetary transits of TRAPPIST-1 over a period of 20 days from September to October, recorded by the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2016.
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Artistic representation of TRAPPIST-1 planets transiting their host star. Light passing through atmospheres of transiting exoplanets could reveal atmospheric compositions using spectroscopy.
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The TRAPPIST-1 system compared to the Solar System; the orbits of its seven planets would easily fit inside the orbit of Mercury
See also
In Spanish: TRAPPIST-1 para niños
