The Trap is one bunch, seven groovy exoplanets. Welcome back to the Cosmic Companion, I'm James Maynard. This weekly journey just poured into my first from our home, examining the trappest one family of planets, one of the most interesting families of worlds yet discovered by astronomers. These solar systems all begin with the star, don't they? I mean, this is going to place us any to start in it. The stellar furnace at the center of this family of worlds is a cool red star, conveniently named Trap is one. Weston, 12% is larger to our own son and only 8% is massive. The Trap is one star was only discovered in the year 2000. The surface of this star radiating heat at just 2,260 degrees Celsius is hot enough to melt almost but not all metals. Dark Newton's day! In 2016, astronomers at the Transiting or Planets and Planimal Tessimal Small Telescope were trappist at La Sia Observatory in Chile, announced the discovery of three planetary candidates orbiting around a small, cool red star. Follow up observations by NASA's Switzerland Space Telescope confirm the discovery of two of these worlds, now known as Trap is one B and C, and revealed the third candidate was not one by three worlds denoted at the T, two other planets D and H were also planned in this intriguing solar system. Now our current understanding is just that water may be possible on any or all of the seven small rocky terrestrial planets. In more intriguing each solar system is a so-called habitable zone, a range of distances at which water may be able to cool on the surface of exoplanets. Amazingly, the Trap is one system contains three of these worlds, Tfg orbiting within this Goldilocks zone where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water on the surface of planets. Now the innermost planet Trap is one B orbits just one percent as far from its star as Earth keeps in the sun. This close orbit whips this exoplanet around its star once every 36 hours. This super-earth is a little over 37% more massive than Earth and it's about 11% larger. Just one C, a second super-earth is around 30% more massive than our own world and about 10% larger. It orbits around, you know what, I'm just going to call it little red, once every 58 hours. The next groovy planet in this happening system, Trap is one D is less than 40% as massive as Earth with a diameter under 80% that of our own world. This terrestrial planet keeps thin by running around little red once every four days. It's a great exercise regime. Trap is the first world in this system to be cool enough within the habitable zone of this planetary system. That doesn't mean that this world or any other exoplanets so far found are hospitable to human light. You do not want to go there on a vacation. What it does mean is that heat from the local sun would not be preventing water formation on most planets, many other factors including the presence or not of an atmosphere can also factor into the equations. Now another super-earth Trapist 1F is the next stop on our journey. This world is nearly the exact same size as the Earth and it sits within the heart of the habitable zone. A year or so, just about 9 days, as even in this world, roughly halfway out in this solar system is just 4% as far from its star as Earth is from the sun. Trapist 1G orbiting the star to more leisurely pace of once every 12 and a half days or so, the super-earth 13% larger and 32% more massive than Earth. It is also the most distant planet in the system which still lies within the local Goldilocks zone. Just right, temperatures. Now the outer most known planet in this system, Trapist 1H is a terrestrial planet about one-third as massive as Earth and about three-quarters as large. Each of these seven worlds holds the potential of hosting water and each might be amenable to life. This system of small rocky planets beckons to be explored. We are nowhere near to be able to send robotic explorers to the Trapist 1 system. However, the James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced telescope ever sent to space, has already begun its observations of this intriguing family of exoplanets. Over the course of its operational lifetime, around one-eatth, Webb's observing time will be dedicated to studying the seven-gruby planets. Time here is a very real possibility that the first signs of life outside of our own family of planets may be found one day in the Trapist 1 system. Keep checking back, we'll keep letting you know what astronomers learn about the seven gruby exoplanets. If you enjoyed this episode, tell everyone you know to sign up for our mailing list at thecosmiccompanion.com. While you're at it, subscribe, follow and share the Cosmic Companion all over your favorite social media. Heck, big lawn signs, paint your roof with our logo for airline passengers to see whatever you feel is right. No pressure. Join us next week on the Cosmic Companion as we imagine some of the weird life which might exist on other worlds. Join us at the Cosmic Companion starting on the 11th of October when we talk about weird life on Earth can teach us about life and outer space. Clear skies!