Meet the Star with 7 Earth-Sized Planets that James Webb Will Study

The TRAPPIST-1 star and its 7 Earth-sized planets have become the most studied planetary system other than our own since their discovery in February 2017. During its first year of observations, James Webb Space Telescope will be studying the atmospheres of these 7 planets to learn more about whether they have the potential to harbor life on their surfaces.

This artist’s concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like, based on available data about the planets’ diameters, masses, and distances from the host star, as of February 2018. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A study released in 2018 revealed that some of the TRAPPIST-1 planets may be harboring more water than Earth’s oceans, while a 2021 study found that all 7 planets may have similar compositions to each other, but are different than Earth.

“That could mean they all contain about the same ratio of materials thought to compose most rocky planets, like iron, oxygen, magnesium, and silicon. But if this is the case, that ratio must be notably different than Earth’s: The TRAPPIST-1 planets are about 8% less dense than they would be if they had the same makeup as our home planet.” -NASA Blog on TRAPPIST-1

As part of its planned missions for Cycle-1, the first year of observations, James Webb will study the atmospheres of all 7 of the TRAPPIST-1 planets. Using infrared observations from JWST, researchers will be able to determine the composition of the atmosphere to look for signs that the planets are habitable, and for signs that life…