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"Ultraviolet radiation is an important factor in the atmospheric evolution of planets," Bourrier explained in a press release. "As in our own atmosphere, where ultraviolet sunlight breaks molecules apart, ultraviolet starlight can break water vapor in the atmospheres of exoplanets into hydrogen and oxygen."
Using the STIS, the researchers could detect any escaped hydrogen gas around the atmosphere of each planet, which helped them determine the likelihood of atmospheric water vapor.
Their findings indicate that the two innermost planets, designated Trappist-1b and Trappist-1c, could have lost vast amounts of water as a result of ultraviolet radiation - as much as 20 Earth-oceans-worth over the last 8 billion years. However, that isn't the case for the other planets in the system.
The researchers believe the five remaining planets, including the three in the system's habitable zone - Trappist-1e, Trappist-1f, and Trappist-1g - have each lost much less water than the innermost planets and might still have some water remaining on their surfaces.
Calculated water loss rates and geophysical water release rates back up this theory, but scientists have no way to know for sure that the planets contain water using just the available telescopes and data.
According to Bourrier, "While our results suggest that the outer planets are the best candidates to search for water with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, they also highlight the need for theoretical studies and complementary observations at all wavelengths to determine the nature of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and their potential habitability."
www.sciencealert.com...
originally posted by: gortex
An international team of scientists have been looking at the Trappist-1 System using the Hubble Space Telescope's Imaging Spectograph to look at levels of ultraviolet radiation hitting the system's planets and deduce the prospect for the planets retaining their water.
The result of the teams study leads them to believe that although the two inner most planets , Trappist-1b and Trappist-1c , would have lost their water due to ultraviolet radiation bombarding their atmospheres three planets in the habitable zone , Trappist-1e, Trappist-1f, and Trappist-1g , would have lost less water and are likely to still have water remaining on their surfaces and in their atmospheres.
"Ultraviolet radiation is an important factor in the atmospheric evolution of planets," Bourrier explained in a press release. "As in our own atmosphere, where ultraviolet sunlight breaks molecules apart, ultraviolet starlight can break water vapor in the atmospheres of exoplanets into hydrogen and oxygen."
Using the STIS, the researchers could detect any escaped hydrogen gas around the atmosphere of each planet, which helped them determine the likelihood of atmospheric water vapor.
Their findings indicate that the two innermost planets, designated Trappist-1b and Trappist-1c, could have lost vast amounts of water as a result of ultraviolet radiation - as much as 20 Earth-oceans-worth over the last 8 billion years. However, that isn't the case for the other planets in the system.
The researchers believe the five remaining planets, including the three in the system's habitable zone - Trappist-1e, Trappist-1f, and Trappist-1g - have each lost much less water than the innermost planets and might still have some water remaining on their surfaces.
Calculated water loss rates and geophysical water release rates back up this theory, but scientists have no way to know for sure that the planets contain water using just the available telescopes and data.
According to Bourrier, "While our results suggest that the outer planets are the best candidates to search for water with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, they also highlight the need for theoretical studies and complementary observations at all wavelengths to determine the nature of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and their potential habitability."
www.sciencealert.com...
Just another piece to the puzzle but as time passes the picture becomes clearer , the prospect for life is everywhere.