In May, an international team of scientists announced the discovery of a planetary system containing "three potentially habitable, Earth-sized worlds." The team recently published a study in Nature claiming that two of those Earth-sized orbs are looking increasingly promising.


In May, an international team of scientists announced the discovery of a planetary system containing "three potentially habitable, Earth-sized worlds."

The team recently published a study in Nature claiming that two of those Earth-sized orbs are looking increasingly promising. 

Both the planets, which are located about 40 light years from Earth, have largely rocky surfaces and atmospheres that appear to be compact. 

Said researcher Julien de Wit of MIT, “The plausible scenarios include something like Venus, with high, thick clouds and an atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide, or an Earth-like atmosphere dominated by nitrogen and oxygen, or even something like Mars with a depleted atmosphere.” 

Another detail that will need to be hashed out before declaring the planets suitable for life is how much radiation they receive from their star, TRAPPIST-1, which is much cooler than the sun.

The team is in the process of preparing for further investigation.