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The Discovery of TRAPPIST-1 Planets
The first observations of the TRAPPIST-1 system reported in 2016 revealed three planets orbiting a small, red-dwarf star, though the exact location of the outermost one, was not well-determined (yellow band, top image). Follow-up observations with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as ground-based telescopes, dramatically changed our understanding of this system, revealing a total of seven planets in Earth’s size range. The original TRAPPIST-1d was found to have actually been the mixed-up signals of three other planets e, f, and g (yellow orbits, bottom image), and an entirely new d and h were also added to the system.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech, also in Pasadena. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at Caltech/IPAC. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
Related Media
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News Release NASA Telescope Reveals Largest Batch of Earth-Size, Habitable-Zone Planets Around Single Star ssc2017-01 |
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Collection Spitzer TRAPPIST-1 Showcase |
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Image TRAPPIST-1 Planet Lineup ssc2017-01a |
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Image Abstract Concept of TRAPPIST-1 System ssc2017-01b |
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Image Surface of TRAPPIST-1f ssc2017-01c |
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Image Transit Illustration of TRAPPIST-1 ssc2017-01d |
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Image 500 Hours of Spitzer Observations of TRAPPIST-1 ssc2017-01e |
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Image TRAPPIST-1 Statistics Table ssc2017-01f |
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Image TRAPPIST-1 Comparison to Solar System and Jovian Moons ssc2017-01g |
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Image The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Zone ssc2017-01h |
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Image The Discovery of TRAPPIST-1 Planets ssc2017-01i |
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Video The Seven Wonders of TRAPPIST-1 ssc2017-01v1 |
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Video 500 Hours: Exploring the 7 Exoplanets of TRAPPIST-1 ssc2017-01v2 |
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Video TRAPPIST-1 Planets - Flyaround Animation ssc2017-01v3 |
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Video TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Orbits and Transits ssc2017-01v4 |
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Video Spitzer in Space ssc2017-01v5 |
