'Mind-Blowing' NASA Discovery: 7 Earth-Sized Planets Orbiting Nearby Star
HOUSTON (CBS) – NASA announced a major discovery Wednesday that could go a long way toward answering the question "Are we alone?"
Scientists say the agency's Spitzer Space Telescope has found "the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star."
Each one of the planets could have water, opening the possibility that they could support life.
The system called TRAPPIST-1 is about 40 light years away, which is relatively close.
"This discovery could be a significant piece in the puzzle of finding habitable environments, places that are conducive to life," NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen said in a statement. "Answering the question 'are we alone' is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable step forward toward that goal."
The planets are all believed to be rocky, and three in the "habitable zone," which means they're most likely to contain liquid water.
"For me, it's mind-blowing," said Nikole Lewis, a NASA telescope scientist. "The first time I saw what the system had in it, I just was like 'You got to be kidding me!'"
The launch of a new telescope in 2018 will let astronomers better analyze the atmosphere of these news planets and their suitability for life.
