TRAPPIST-1

Two separate teams of scientists from the CfA have identified major challenges for the development of life in TRAPPIST-1. The TRAPPIST-1 system, depicted here in an artist's conception, contains seven roughly Earth-sized planets orbiting a red dwarf, which is a faint, low-mass star. This star spins rapidly and generates energetic flares of ultraviolet radiation and a strong wind of particles. The research teams say the behavior of this red dwarf makes it much less likely than generally thought that the three planets orbiting well within the habitable zone could support life.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt