Re:Seven earth-sized planets discovered circling a star 39 l...
by svachalek on Wednesday February 22, 2017 @08:00PM
(#13710742)
On the other hand, tidal locking can stir the pot, possibly creating more opportunities for the chemistry of life to form.
One of the astronomers, Triaud has been quoted saying this is a relatively calm red dwarf that doesn't produce a lot of flares.
> All seven of TRAPPIST-1's planets orbit much closer than Earth orbits the Sun. A year on the closest planet passes in only 1.5 Earth days, while the sixth planet's year passes in only 12.3 days
>Tidally locked planets likely have very large differences in temperature between their permanently lit day sides and their permanently dark night sides, which could produce very strong winds circling the planets, while making the best places for life close to the mild twilight regions between the two sides.
> Another important consideration is that red dwarf stars are subject to frequent, intense flares that are likely to have stripped away the atmospheres of any planets in such close orbits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAPPIST-1