TRAPPIST-1e
TRAPPIST-1e, also known as 2MASS J23062928-0502285 e, is a rocky, almost earth-size exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone around the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 about 40 light-years (12 parsecs) away from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius. Astronomers found the exoplanet by using the transit method, in which the dimming effect that a planet causes as it crosses in front of its star is measured.
 Artist's impression of TRAPPIST-1e from 2018, showed here as a tidally locked planet with a liquid ocean. The actual appearance of the exoplanet is right now unknown, but based on its density, it is likely not completely covered in water. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spitzer Space Telescope |
| Discovery date | 22 February 2017 |
| Transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Apastron | 0.0294322±0.000017 AU |
| Periastron | 0.0291335±0.000017 AU |
| 0.02928285 ± 3.4e-07[1] AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.00510±0.00058[1] |
| 6.099043 ± 0.000015[2] d | |
| Inclination | 89.860+0.10 −0.12[1] |
| Star | TRAPPIST-1[3] |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 0.910+0.027 −0.026[1] REarth |
| Mass | 0.772+0.075 −0.079[1] M🜨 |
Mean density | 5.65+0.39 −0.42 g cm−3 |
| 0.930+0.063 −0.068[1] g | |
| Temperature | Teq: 246.1 ± 3.5 K (−27.05 ± 3.50 °C; −16.69 ± 6.30 °F)[2] |
The exoplanet was one of seven new exoplanets discovered orbiting the star using observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope.[4][5] Three of the seven (e, f, and g) are in the habitable zone.[6][7] TRAPPIST-1e is almost the same to Earth's mass, radius, density, gravity, temperature, and stellar flux.[1][2] It is also confirmed to not have a cloud-free hydrogen-dominated atmosphere, meaning it is more likely to have a compact atmosphere like the terrestrial planets in the Solar System.[8]
In November 2018, researchers decided that of the seven exoplanets in the multi-planetary system, TRAPPIST-1e has the best chance of being an Earth-like ocean planet, and the one most worthy of further study related to habitability.[9] What's more, according to the Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, TRAPPIST-1e is one of the most possible habitable exoplanets discovered.[10]
TRAPPIST-1e Media
Artist's impression of the TRAPPIST-1 system, seen from above the surface of one of the planets in the habitable zone
Artist's impression of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system
PIA21427 - TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Orbits and Transits
PIA21468 - TRAPPIST-1 Planets - Flyaround Animation
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Grimm, Simon L.. The nature of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets. Astronomy & Astrophysics 613 (A68) (21 January 2018). doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201732233. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Delrez, Laetitia. Early 2017 observations of TRAPPIST-1 with Spitzer'. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 475 (3) (9 January 2018). p. 3577. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty051. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ↑ van Grootel, Valerie. Stellar parameters for TRAPPIST-1. The Astrophysical Journal 853 (1) (5 December 2017). p. 30. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaa023.
- ↑ Gillon, Michaël. Seven temperate terrestrial planets around the nearby ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. Nature 542 (7642) (23 February 2017). p. 456–460. doi:10.1038/nature21360.
- ↑ Gillon, Michaël. Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star. Nature 533 (7602) (2 May 2016). p. 221–224. doi:10.1038/nature17448.
- ↑ NASA. NASA telescope reveals largest batch of Earth-size, habitable-zone planets around single star. NASA.gov (February 21, 2017). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ NASA. TRAPPIST-1 Planet Lineup (in en-US). NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (February 22, 2017)NASA. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ↑ de Wit, Julien. Atmospheric reconnaissance of the habitable-zone Earth-sized planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1. Nature Astronomy 2 (3) (5 February 2018)Nature. p. 214–219. doi:10.1038/s41550-017-0374-z. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ↑ Kelley, Peter. Study brings new climate models of small star TRAPPIST 1's seven intriguing worlds. EurekAlert! (21 November 2018)University of Washington. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ↑ The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog. Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo (phl.upr.edu) (December 6, 2021)University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. Retrieved 6 February 2019.