7 Earth-sized Worlds Found in Nearby Star System

This ESOcast Light presents five amazing facts about the 7 Earth-sized planets found in the nearby TRAPPIST-1 system, from their rocky composition to their potential to harbour water. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces.

Scientists on Wednesday have made one of the most exciting discoveries yet in the search for habitable worlds beyond our own, announcing they had spotted seven Earth-size planets — any of which could have liquid water — orbiting a star 40 light-years away.

“What we really have in this story is a major step forward toward answering one of the questions that are at the heart of so many of our philosophers — of what we’re thinking about when we’re by ourselves, and that basically is: Are we alone out there?” Thomas Zurbuchen, an associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said during a press conference to announce the findings.

Using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, represents the first time that scientists have found so many planets in a single star’s habitable zone, where water might be able to pool on the surface.