Two studies published in Astrophysical Journal Letters reveal the first possible signs of an atmosphere around TRAPPIST-1e, one of the seven planets of the famous TRAPPIST-1 system. Located in the habitable zone of its star, TRAPPIST-1e is considered one of the best current candidates to host liquid water – and therefore, potentially, life.
These results were obtained thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which observed the planet as it transited its star. Although the strong magnetic activity of the star complicates the analysis, the data suggest that TRAPPIST-1e does not possess a thick hydrogen-rich atmosphere, but that a denser secondary atmosphere, similar to Earth’s, remains possible.
“This is a historic milestone: even though more data will be needed to reach a conclusion, we have never been this close to discovering an atmosphere around a potentially habitable rocky exoplanet,” explains Liège astrophysicist Michaël Gillon, who led the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system and is not involved in these new results.
Discovered in 2016 by the TRAPPIST-South telescope of the University of Liège, TRAPPIST-1 marked a major turning point in the search for habitable worlds. In September 2015, almost exactly ten years ago, Michaël Gillon identified in the TRAPPIST data the first trace of a planetary transit around this small star.
Ten years later, humanity now has its first hints of an atmosphere around one of the planets of this unique system.
Further JWST observations are underway and will soon allow scientists to confirm the presence – or absence – of an atmosphere and determine its composition.
In parallel, the search for comparable systems goes on with the SPECULOOS project, led by ULiège, which targets other rocky planets orbiting nearby ultracool stars.
Prof. Michaël Gillon
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