Seven Earth-sized planets orbit nearby supercool star

Three planets’ paths put them in TRAPPIST-1’s habitable zone

illustration of a seven planet solar system

PLANETARY LINEUP  Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 with short periods, from 1.5 to 20 Earth days. This artist’s illustration shows potential differences in the planets’ surfaces and sizes.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

A nearby ultracool star harbors seven Earth-sized planets, three with orbits that potentially put them in a habitable zone.