The discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system stirred up excitement about a star system with three potentially habitable worlds, but recent observations of the innermost two planets have had discouraging results.
But in a recent study, University of Washington astrobiologist Andrew Lincowski and his colleagues used a computer to simulate a few types of atmospheres that might fit the telescope data, and it turns out there may be a little bit of air there, after all. Lincowski and his colleagues say there’s an even chance that TRAPPIST-1c, the system’s second-innermost planet, is either a bare rock or has a thin atmosphere. That could be good news for the chances of life on planets farther out in the system.
The researchers shared their work in a recent preprint paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
To read more, click here.