Intelligent Life On Newly Found Planets Not Likely: Expert

BRADENTON, FL — The discovery of seven earth-like planets orbiting a single star has ignited excitement in the scientific community. With three of those planets considered in the “habitable zone,” the possibilities are dizzying, experts say.

Whether those planets will reveal signs of intelligent life, however, is something that Bishop Planetarium’s director Jeff Rodgers said folks shouldn’t hold their breath for.

"There are a lot of cool things about this announcement,” said Rodgers, who also serves as the South Florida Museum’s provost and chief operations officer. “For one thing, it's a surprise to find so many rocky planets around a star. And they're tucked in close, only a few million miles away from their star, TRAPPIST-1. By comparison, Mercury is 30 million miles away from the sun."

The planets are also rather close to each other, the planetarium pointed out. On average, they are about a ½ million miles apart. Putting it into perspective, the earth’s moon is only about ¼ of a million miles away, planetarium officials notes in a Thursday statement. The distance means hypothetical people on those planets could see through a telescope at each other.

TRAPPIST-1 is also unusual. The star that is part of the Aquarius constellation and is an “ultra-cool dwarf.” That means it’s as cool as it can be and still retain the classification of being a star. It is also about 39 light years away.

See also: NASA Reveals 7 Earth-Like Planets Around Nearby Star

"That means it has the potential to keep fusing 1,000 times longer than our sun," Rodgers said. "So you've got planets in the habitable zone orbiting a star that has a trillion years of life left. That means the evolutionary possibilities are endless."

While the possibilities are endless, Rodgers said it remains to be seen if there is water or life on the planets.

"'Habitable' only means that the temperatures are right for liquid water," Rodgers said. "We don't know if there is water, or other conditions necessary for life. But the possibility is there."

As for intelligent life, he’s skeptical.

"Last year, after the first three planets in the system were discovered, astronomers trained radio telescopes on that area. There was no chattering going on over there, so it's unlikely that the planets hold intelligent life forms."

Intelligent life or not, Rodgers said it’s a very exciting time for space enthusiasts. As the tools of the astronomy trade become more sophisticated, scientists are discovering more things that are changing understanding of the universe around us.

"We know that 15 percent of the stars in our galaxy are the same type as TRAPPIST-1. That's 45 billion long-lived star systems that could have multiple rocky, habitable planets. That changes the parameters for thinking about where we might find life. If TRAPPIST-1-like systems are common, that increases the number of habitable places there are in our galaxy, and improves the odds that there may be life off-Earth."

NASA’s full announcement of the discovery of the planets can be viewed here:

To find out more about the South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium, visit its website.

Photo courtesy of NASA