Unexpected discovery of 7 planets 'peaceful' than Earth

Scientists have solved the mystery behind the harmonious dance of 7 planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, all of which are like Earth.

New research published in the journal Nature Astronomy, led by astrophysicist Sean Raymond from the University of Bordeaux (France) says their calculations show that these seven planets have experienced a much more peaceful past. Earth. That's why they keep their "orbital resonances" in sync for 7 billion years.

Artist's description of the scene on one of the three planets believed to have life in the Earth-like 7-planet system - (Image: New Scientist)

Orbital resonance means that when one planet completes some orbits around its parent star, the other planet completes another. In this star system, every time TRAPPIST-1 b rotates 8 times around its parent star, planet c has just completed 5 revolutions, planet d 4, planet e 2. and this cycle repeats continuously in this system. throughout the life of the planets.

According to Live Science, the aforementioned rhythmic dance can only be sustained if it is a star system that is less susceptible to asteroid and comet collisions, because only large space rocks can completely exist. can cause the rotation of a planet to change, from which the resonance of the 7 planets is no longer perfect.

The team's model also shows that these 7 planets formed very soon after the parent star appeared and formed very quickly, only 1/10 of the time compared to Earth. At least 3 of them are suitable for life.

However, peace is not necessarily an advantage because many previous studies have shown that fiery collisions in the early history of the Earth enriched the chemical composition of the planet, bringing important things. As important as water or prebiotic materials come to the earth, creating conditions for life to arise later.