Image courtesy of Mark Garlick/Alamy
Joel Kontinen
Some planets are formed that they have life. But only
exoplanets tend not to have it. The latest case is the Trappist 1 saga which
probably has none.
Astronomers have
been trying to detect atmospheres on planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, but bursts of
radiation from the star make this challenging.
The search for
atmospheres around the TRAPPIST-1 star system, one of the most promising
locations for life elsewhere in the galaxy, might be even more difficult than
astronomers first thought because of short-lived radiation blasts from the
star.
TRAPPIST-1, first
discovered in 2016, is a small red dwarf star about 40 light years from Earth
with at least seven planets orbiting it. It is a prime target for astronomers
hoping to detect extraterrestrial life because several of its planets appear to
sit in a habitable zone where temperatures are just right for liquid water.
Source:
Alex Wilkins 2025 Stellar flares may hamper search for life in promising star system | New Scientist 23 June
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