Scientists are both confused and excited to find three Earth like planets orbiting around a nearby star. This marks the beginning of a new age of space studies. Reports suggest that NASA will know within the decade if any of these planets support life such as aliens.
EARTH IS NOT ALONE
The concept that we here on Earth are not alone in the universe has always been a mysterious one, now that this trio of planets has been discovered, an answer may be coming sooner than we think. The three planets that are about the same size as Earth orbit an ultra-cool star that astronomers have dubbed TRAPPIST-1. Many stars like this exist in the universe but this one is unique because it’s so close to us, it’s tiny and the planets surrounding it, are small as well. Being the size of Earth, there is potential for life, if the following criteria are met.
ALIENS MAY BE CLOSE
If these planets have liquid water on the surface, the chance of finding aliens or any form of life increases greatly. As we known, water is a major contributing factor to sustaining life here on our planet. NASA and scientists everywhere agree that if one were to find water on other planets, it’s likely that aliens would go along with it. Despite the fact that the star is small and cold, the fact that these three planets orbit so closely to it suggest they could have qualities similar to Earth, but 40 light years away.
NASA’S ROLE IN THE FUTURE
As far as aliens go, NASA doesn’t like to make any major assumptions, however, they will certainly be looking into the potential these three planets have. NASA will be replacing the Hubble Space Telescope soon with the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018. This update will allow NASA and other astronomers to analyze the atmosphere fo these planets and see if they have the ingredients necessary to support life. Results are expected within the decade. The wild fantasy of aliens just may become a reality by then.
