Scientists explore a rocky planet that could be habitable

But the biggest question remains unanswered: does the planet have a substantial atmosphere of its own?

In the search for another Earth, scientists are paying close attention to the TRAPPIST-1 system, a family of seven planets orbiting a small red star. One of them, TRAPPIST-1 e, may be habitable. New data from the James Webb Space Telescope show that it does not have a thick hydrogen atmosphere. That means the possibility of oceans, and perhaps life, is still on the table, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.

In the study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters researchers published the first detailed observations of the planet with Webb.

They used the telescope to watch TRAPPIST-1 e pass in front of its star four times. These glimpses revealed that the planet is almost certainly not shrouded in a light hydrogen envelope, the kind that turns many exoplanets into lifeless “mini-Neptunes.” Instead, TRAPPIST-1 e looks much more like a rocky world such as Earth, Mars, or Venus.

But the biggest question remains unanswered: does the planet have a substantial atmosphere of its own? The data fit equally well with two scenarios: one where no atmosphere exists, and another where TRAPPIST-1 e has a layer of heavier gases such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide. Such an atmosphere could trap heat and maintain pressure, creating the conditions for liquid water, the key ingredient for life as we know it.

Researchers point out that the biggest obstacle right now is the star itself. TRAPPIST-1 is highly active: it flares often, and its surface is covered with dark and bright spots that distort the light passing through. To separate this “stellar noise” from possible signs of the planet’s atmosphere, scientists relied on advanced statistical methods. Even so, the problem is far from solved, and clear answers will require more observations.

Being in the so-called habitable zone is not enough on its own. Another study, also published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, looked at how much water the planets might have gained. According to the models, the inner worlds, including TRAPPIST-1 e, probably started out with only small amounts. The outer planets were more likely to keep large reserves of ice and water. Still, there’s a chance the inner planets received extra water later, carried in by comets or icy fragments that drifted inward toward the star.

In the coming years, the James Webb Space Telescope will continue to monitor the system. Future data should finally reveal which gases, if any, surround TRAPPIST-1 e.

Photo credit: Unsplash.com.

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