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22nd February 2017
07:14pm GMT
Thrilled astronomers say the discovery, which marks the first time so many planets of a similar size to Earth have been found orbiting one star, means scientists will be able to ascertain whether there is life on them within the next next years.
"The seven wonders of TRAPPIST-1 are the first Earth-size planets that have been found orbiting this kind of star," said Michael Gillon, lead author of the paper and the principal investigator of the TRAPPIST exoplanet survey at the University of Liege, Belgium.
"It is also the best target yet for studying the atmospheres of potentially habitable, Earth-size worlds."
The main illustration shows the possible surface of TRAPPIST-1f, one of the newly discovered planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system.
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