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Trappist 1: James Webb Space Telescope's Mother-Daughter Team [VIDEO]

Written by Purposeful Universe | June 28, 2023

One of the first planetary systems that NASA’s mother-daughter team, Natalie and Natasha Batalha, will look at is the Trappist 1 System.

What Is the Trappist 1 System?

The Trappist 1 system is a red dwarf star about the size of Jupiter, with seven exoplanets orbiting it. All seven exoplanets are closer to the Trappist 1 than Mercury is to the sun, but because the temperature of Trappist 1 is so much lower than that of the sun, three of these exoplanets are in the proper temperature zone for potentially supporting liquid water

Why Is Trappist 1 Important?

Natalie Batalha explains why the exploration of Trappist 1 is so exciting: “These are planets that formed in the earliest moments of the Milky Way. Imagine how life could evolve on a planet given 10–12 billion years of evolution.” Watch the video to learn more about the Batalha's work on Trappist 1.