7 planets orbiting the dwarf star at a distance of 40 light years from the city

Enjoy the seven rocky planets in orbit TRAPPIST-1 red dwarf star With remarkably similar densities, providing clues to their formation.

TRAPPIST-1 is located about 40 light years away and is home to the largest group of Planets About the size of the Earth that has been found in a single star system.

Previous calculations determined that planets are roughly the size and mass of Earth, and therefore must also be rocky or terrestrial – unlike those dominated by gas, such as a planet. Jupiter and Saturn.

The new article, published in Planetary Science Journal, provides the most accurate density measurements yet for any group of exoplanets – exoplanets.

Our solar system.

The more precisely scientists know the density of a planet, the more restrictions they can impose on its formation, the densities of the eight planets in our solar system vary widely.

The TRAPPIST-1 planets have similar intensities – the values ​​do not differ by more than three percent, which makes the system very different from ours.

The difference in density between TRAPPIST-1, Earth and Venus may seem small – around eight percent – but it is significant on a planetary scale.

For example, one way to explain why the TRAPPIST-1 planets are less dense is this one

Composition similar to Earth, but with less iron – about 21% versus 32% for Earth, according to the study.

Alternatively, the iron in TRAPPIST-1 could be inundated with high levels of Oxygen, Which leads to the formation of iron oxide or rust.

The additional oxygen will reduce the density of the planets, the surface March It has a red pigment of iron oxide, but like its three siblings on Earth, it has a core made up of unoxidized iron.

Some of these seven planets have been known since 2016 when scientists announced that they had found three planets around the star TRAPPIST-1 using The telescope Small planets and planetesimals in transit in Chile.

Later observations confirmed this Spitzer Space Telescope Currently retired NASA, working with ground-based telescopes, has two original planets and has discovered five more.