Popular Mechanics reports:
An international team of astronomers has discovered three Earth-like exoplanets orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star—the smallest and dimmest stars in the Galaxy—now known as TRAPPIST-1. The discovery, made with the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory, is significant not only because the three planets have similar properties to Earth, suggesting they could harbor life, but also because they are relatively close (just 40 light years away) and they are the first planets ever discovered orbiting such a dim star. A research paper detailing the teams findings was published [May 2nd] in the journal Nature
"What is super exciting is that for the first time, we have extrasolar worlds similar in size and temperature to Earth—planets that could thus, in theory, harbor liquid water and host life on at least a part of their surfaces—for which the atmospheric composition can be studied in detail with current technology," lead researcher Michaël Gillon of the University of Liège in Belgium said in an email to Popular Mechanics.
[...] The fact that the planets are orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star is significant for other reasons. Stars like TRAPPIST-1 have incredibly long lifetimes—longer than the current age of the universe—giving life plenty of time to take root. TRAPPIST-1 is roughly estimated to be between 1 and 10 billion years old, according to Gillon, and the star's life will continue for tens of billions of years..
A mere 40 light-years away and tens of billions of years for life to evolve still remaining? That's beyond ultracool (if we start a stroll toward it at 6km/h, will get there in about 55 billion years. So, if no warp drive available, maybe we should use a bicycle)
Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star (DOI: 10.1038/nature17448)
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Astronomers have confirmed the orbital period for the outermost known exoplanet orbiting TRAPPIST-1: TRAPPIST-1h:
Scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope identified a regular pattern in the orbits of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system that confirmed suspected details about the orbit of its outermost and least understood planet, TRAPPIST-1h.
[...] Astronomers from the University of Washington have used data from the Kepler spacecraft to confirm that TRAPPIST-1h orbits its star every 19 days. At six million miles from its cool dwarf star, TRAPPIST-1h is located beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone, and is likely too cold for life as we know it. The amount of energy (per unit area) planet h receives from its star is comparable to what the dwarf planet Ceres, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, gets from our sun.
[...] The team calculated six possible resonant periods for planet h that would not disrupt the stability of the system, but only one was not ruled out by additional data. The other five possibilities could have been observed in the Spitzer and ground-based data collected by the TRAPPIST team.
[...] TRAPPIST-1's seven-planet chain of resonances established a record among known planetary systems, the previous holders being the systems Kepler-80 and Kepler-223, each with four resonant planets.
Previously: Three New Earth-Like Planets Discovered Around an Ultra Cool Red Dwarf
Seven Earth-Sized Exoplanets, Including Three Potentially Habitable, Identified Around TRAPPIST-1
Powerful Solar Flares Found at TRAPPIST-1 Could Dim Chances for Life
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:08AM
It's "ultra cool" when planets orbit a dwarf star, but when dwarf planets orbit a star, that's just ordinary according to you lot. It's like that, is it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:52AM
New rule. Jupiter is a planet. Anything smaller is a dwarf.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Thexalon on Wednesday May 04 2016, @02:36AM
Actually, what makes a red dwarf unquestionably ultra-cool is the presence of felis sapiens [wikia.com] .
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:21AM
Ok, So we can't approximate warp drive today.
But with some loooooong running ion drive we could probably approximate half light speed or quarter light speed over most of that distance. We should be able to get there within 120 year, slow down enough to orbit, bring some (by then) ancient technology to life, do some look and listen and send back an limited information by what ever means, or several means.
Can we put equipment on the shelf for 120 years and expect it to run? Who knows,
Biggest risk is we pass our own probe on the way to this star with our newer faster probe launched 40 years from now, and then pass both of those in our new spaceship launched 80 years from now, only to be greeted upon arrival by ourselves having teleported there 120 years from now.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:41AM
This from the same civilization that invented the 1000-hour light bulb [wikipedia.org]?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:47AM
Cool sci-fi story bro. I liked the part where you assume anyone will ever travel there. History has shown that colonists inevitably demand independence, so no one will allow colonists to leave Earth in the first place. Human nature isn't going to change in the next 120 million years, and you just ignored the overwhelming human desire to control others. Case in point: watch this comment get modded down by fascist niggers.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:52AM
Why does it matter if colonists 40 light years away have independence if your only other option is to not allow anyone to leave? Just let it happen.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @12:57AM
Because, man! We can't tax them if they leave! Lost tax revenue could have been used to build schools! Think of the Terran children!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday May 04 2016, @01:13AM
It's less people that the loomynarti have to destroy with super-zikabola.
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(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday May 04 2016, @02:06AM
Yeah, but... why would we waste good money, when super-zikabola is much cheaper?
One doesn't become a loomynarti wasting money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 04 2016, @02:01AM
History also shows that the same folks who demanded independence are usually still your ally after all is said and done.
I really don't think this is the biggest problem with living on another planet.
(Score: 3, Funny) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday May 04 2016, @03:04AM
I really don't think this is the biggest problem with living on another planet.
A tidally locked planet orbiting a red dwarf in just a few days?
No, probably not the biggest problem.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday May 04 2016, @09:26AM
This [amazon.co.uk] is a really enjoyable series of books that imaginatively unveils the dirty secret of science fiction - that in reality every planet you land on or try to colonise is probably going to be hugely unlike Earth, and almost certainly very hostile in one way or another. Available for not very much money at all at your local rainforest-themed ebook store.
The same author wrote the Smallworld [amazon.co.uk] series, which specifically looks at life and agriculture under the dim glow of a Red Dwarf. Recommended, and available for even less money than the above.
Both series are best described as light, scifi/space opera comedy. While the author clearly isn't scientifically illiterate, don't expect hard science fiction. The humour is *very* British and the author has a cunning way with words, to the extent that I suspect some non-brits might have a hard time in places. It's very creative and sports some neat ideas that I have never seen elsewhere. Probably best to start with Smallworld, it's a bit more accessible and well put-together.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday May 05 2016, @12:05AM
Wow, nice tip.
Thanks. Will definitely read these.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday May 06 2016, @10:57AM
Let me know if you like it, I've yet to find anyone else who's read it.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Wednesday May 04 2016, @06:45AM
Just like no one was allowed to leave Europe. Most people did think the crossing was too far, and many died in the crossing, but the ocean was crossed.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 5, Informative) by b0ru on Wednesday May 04 2016, @07:18AM
Here's the paper [eso.org] (dated 28th December 2015, fwiw), sans paywall, should anyone be interested.
It sure would be great if people could link to open access journals, or at least spend five minutes going to the original source to find the papers such that people can actually read it...