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♪
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Narrator: WE'RE LIVING IN
A NEW GOLDEN AGE OF EXPLORATION.
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PLANET HUNTERS ARE SEARCHING
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FAR BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
FOR EXOPLANETS.
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Woman: WE'RE NOT ONLY FINDING
DIFFERENT CONTINENTS --
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WE'RE ACTUALLY FINDING
NEW WORLDS ORBITING OTHER SUNS.
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Narrator:
THOUSANDS OF THESE ALIEN WORLDS
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HAVE ALREADY BEEN FOUND,
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BUT THIS IS THE STORY OF PERHAPS
THE GREATEST DISCOVERY YET,
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A STAR 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY WITH
SEVEN EARTH-SIZED PLANETS --
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TRAPPIST-1.
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WHEN WE SAW THIS, THAT WAS --
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IT WAS A VERY HAPPY MORNING
WHEN WE MADE THIS PLOT.
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REALLY LIKE WINNING THE LOTTERY,
SORT OF COSMIC LOTTERY.
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Narrator:
NOW THESE MODERN-DAY EXPLORERS
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ARE RACING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
THESE EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS.
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THEY WANT TO KNOW
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WHAT THE PLANET'S SURFACES
AND CLIMATES ARE LIKE
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AND COULD ANY OF THEM WIN
THE ULTIMATE BATTLE --
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TO HOST LIFE ITSELF?
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O'Malley-James: YOU'D SEE THIS
PLANET LIGHT UP WITH A GLOW,
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THEN THAT GIVES US
A STRONG INDICATION
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THAT SOMETHING IS LIVING THERE
ON THAT PLANET.
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Narrator:
FINDING LIFE ON AN ALIEN WORLD
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IS THE ULTIMATE PRIZE
FOR PLANET HUNTERS,
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AND IT MAY SOON BE WITHIN REACH.
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-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com
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CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
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THE STORY BEGINS HIGH
IN THE ATACAMA DESERT IN CHILE.
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WITH SOME OF THE CLEAREST SKIES
ON EARTH,
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IT'S ARGUABLY THE BEST PLACE
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TO SPOT ALIEN WORLDS
ORBITING DISTANT STARS.
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AND SURE ENOUGH, THE APTLY NAMED
VERY LARGE TELESCOPE
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IS HUNTING FOR EXOPLANETS.
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IT'S ACTUALLY MADE UP
OF FOUR MASSIVE TELESCOPES,
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EACH OF WHICH IS
ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVER BUILT.
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TOGETHER, THEY FORM
THE MOST ADVANCED
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VISIBLE LIGHT OBSERVATORY
IN THE WORLD.
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Milli: SO, ALREADY,
WITH INDIVIDUAL TELESCOPES,
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WE CAN SEE VERY SHARP DETAILS,
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BUT WHEN WE COMBINE THE LIGHT
OF THE FOUR OF THEM,
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WE CAN ACTUALLY DISTINGUISH
THE TWO LIGHTS OF A CAR,
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OF THE HEADLIGHT OF A CAR,
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.
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SO THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
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Narrator: THE TELESCOPES
ARE USED TO STUDY EVERYTHING
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FROM NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS
TO FARAWAY GALAXIES.
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DR. JULIEN MILLI IS ONE OF
THEIR TOP PLANET HUNTERS.
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Milli:
WE HAVE HERE THE PRIMARY MIRROR,
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SECONDARY MIRROR,
TERTIARY MIRROR,
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AND THEN IT SENDS THE LIGHT
TO HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGERY,
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SO THE GOAL IS TO MAKE IMAGES
OF PLANETS AROUND THE STAR.
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Narrator:
WITH FOUR 26-FOOT-WIDE MIRRORS,
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THIS IS ONE OF THE ONLY PLACES
IN THE WORLD
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WHERE ASTRONOMERS
CAN ACTUALLY SEE EXOPLANETS.
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BUT EVEN IN IDEAL CONDITIONS,
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JULIEN AND HIS COLLEAGUE
FACE A HUGE CHALLENGE.
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PLANET HUNTING CAN BE LIKE
FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK
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BECAUSE THE IMAGE
IS FULL OF OTHER SPOTS
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THAT CAN LOOK LIKE PLANETS,
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SUCH AS BAD PIXELS
AND LIGHT SPECKLES.
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♪
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Milli:
ALL THESE ELONGATED FEATURES
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HERE OR IN THE CENTER --
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YOU HAVE SOME LITTLE DOTS
CLOSE TO THE STAR --
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THESE ARE SPECKLES.
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SO, THIS IS RESIDUAL STARLIGHT
THAT ARE CREATED
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BECAUSE OF THE IMPERFECT OPTICS
WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
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Narrator:
THEIR TASK IS TO RULE OUT
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ALL THE DOTS THAT ARE BAD PIXELS
IN THE HOPE
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THAT THEY WILL BE LEFT
WITH WHAT'S CALLED A COMPANION,
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A REAL PLANET OR OTHER OBJECT
ORBITING THE STAR.
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♪
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TONIGHT, THEY'VE CAPTURED
A RARE DIRECT IMAGE
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OF AN ALIEN WORLD
ORBITING A DISTANT STAR
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ALMOST 100 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
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BUT THIS SO-CALLED "COMPANION"
IS NOTHING LIKE EARTH.
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IN FACT, IT'S NOT EVEN
STRICTLY A PLANET --
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IT'S A BROWN DWARF, AN OBJECT
SLIGHTLY BIGGER THAN A PLANET.
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THIS ONE IS ABOUT
50 JUPITER MASSES.
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♪
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Milli: WE THINK THAT
THE LIGHTEST SUBJECT
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THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SEE
IS 1 TO 2 JUPITER MASS.
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WE CAN'T GO BELOW THAT,
UNFORTUNATELY,
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SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DETECT
AN EARTH, FOR INSTANCE.
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Narrator: EVEN WITH THE MOST
ADVANCED OPTICAL TELESCOPE
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EVER BUILT,
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VIEWING
THESE REMOTE WORLDS DIRECTLY
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IS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING.
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AND SEEING EXOPLANETS THE SIZE
OF EARTH REMAINS IMPOSSIBLE.
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LUCKILY, THERE'S A CLEVER WAY
TO FIND EXOPLANETS
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WITHOUT EVER ACTUALLY
SEEING THEM.
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♪
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THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
PLANET-HUNTING TECHNIQUE SO FAR
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HAS BAGGED
THOUSANDS OF DISCOVERIES.
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BUT AS NASA ASTRONOMER
NATASHA BATALHA KNOWS WELL,
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YOU NEED PATIENCE.
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Batalha: FINDING PLANETS IS
A LOT LIKE A STAKEOUT.
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YOU'RE SITTING AROUND,
WAITING FOR A VERY LONG TIME
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BEFORE SOMETHING
ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
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Narrator:
IT CAN TAKE MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS
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FOR A PLANET TO ORBIT ITS STAR.
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DURING MOST OF THIS TIME,
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THEY'RE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE
TO DETECT,
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UNLESS THEY HAPPEN TO PASS
IN FRONT OF THEIR STAR.
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♪
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SO, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE A MOTH
FLYING IN FRONT
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OF A CAR'S HEAD LAMP,
THE HEAD LAMP WOULD BE SO BRIGHT
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THAT THE MOTH
MIGHT BE WASHED OUT,
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BUT IF YOU LOOKED HARD ENOUGH,
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YOU GET A VERY,
VERY SMALL DIP IN BRIGHTNESS,
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AND SO WE CAN DETECT
THAT BRIGHTNESS,
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AND SO THAT'S HOW
WE FIND PLANETS.
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♪
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Narrator: IT'S VERY HARD TO SEE
A DISTANT PLANET DIRECTLY,
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BUT IF YOU SEE THE LIGHT
FROM ITS STAR DIM A LITTLE,
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YOU KNOW A PLANET
MUST BE PASSING IN FRONT OF IT,
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AN EVENT KNOWN AS A TRANSIT.
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BUT THIS TRANSIT TECHNIQUE
DOESN'T WORK AS WELL
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FOR SMALL PLANETS AS BIG ONES.
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Batalha: NOW IMAGINE A SMALL FLY
IN FRONT OF A CAR'S HEAD LAMP.
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THAT FLY WOULD BE SO SMALL
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COMPARED TO THE BIG LIGHT
OF THE HEAD LAMP
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THAT THE DIP IN BRIGHTNESS
THAT YOU SEE
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IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DETECT.
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Narrator: AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET
BLOCKS 100 TIMES
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LESS LIGHT FROM ITS STAR
THAN A JUPITER-SIZED PLANET.
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SO, ALTHOUGH HUNDREDS OF
GAS GIANTS HAVE BEEN FOUND
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THIS WAY, SMALLER WORLDS
HAVE PROVED MORE ELUSIVE...
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UNTIL ONE ASTRONOMER
HAD THE IDEA OF
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LOOKING IN A DIFFERENT PLACE --
SMALL RED DWARF STARS.
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AND THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.
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♪
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RED DWARFS ARE MANY TIMES
SMALLER THAN STARS LIKE OUR SUN,
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SO EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
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WILL CAUSE A BIGGER DIP
IN THEIR LIGHT,
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ALLOWING ASTRONOMERS
TO SPOT SMALL,
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ROCKY WORLDS LIKE OUR OWN.
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SO, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
A TRUE EARTH-LIKE PLANET,
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IT'S ACTUALLY EASIER
AROUND SMALLER STARS.
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♪
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Narrator: THIS SIMPLE
BUT REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH MEANT
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PLANET HUNTERS
DIDN'T NEED A GIANT TELESCOPE
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TO SEARCH
FOR EARTH-SIZED ALIEN WORLDS.
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AND JUST 500 MILES SOUTH
OF THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE
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SITS A PIONEERING DEVICE
THAT'S OVER 10 TIMES SMALLER,
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THE BRAINCHILD OF BELGIAN
PLANET HUNTER MICHAEL GILLON.
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Gillon: MY GOAL WAS TO DETECT
NEW PLANETS,
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WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS
ON SMALL PLANETS
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THAT WOULD BE
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE,
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SO THAT COULD HAVE ALL
LIQUID WATER ON THE SURFACE,
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POSSIBLY, MAYBE LIFE --
WHO KNOWS?
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Narrator:
TO SEARCH FOR THESE NEW WORLDS,
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MICHAEL BEGAN STALKING OUT
RED DWARF STARS IN 2011,
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USING HIS SMALL TELESCOPE,
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WHICH HE NAMED "TRAPPIST,"
AFTER THE BEER,
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WHICH IS FAMOUSLY BREWED BY HAND
IN BELGIUM.
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BUT UNLIKE TRAPPIST BEER,
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THIS ROBOTIC TELESCOPE
CAN BE OPERATED
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FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION.
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Gillon: THE TELESCOPE ITSELF
IS A REMOTE-CONTROLLED DEVICE,
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SO WE JUST PRESS A BUTTON
AND LAUNCH A TELESCOPE,
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AND IT STARTS OBSERVING.
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AND DURING THE WHOLE NIGHT,
IT WILL OBSERVE
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WITHOUT ANY HUMAN INTERVENTION.
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Narrator: FOR FOUR YEARS,
THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE
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STEADILY RECORDED THE BRIGHTNESS
OF INDIVIDUAL STARS,
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ONE BY ONE,
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WAITING FOR THE CHARACTERISTIC
DIP THAT REVEALS A PLANET,
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AND IT WAS
REMARKABLY SUCCESSFUL.
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SO, IN 2015, WE HAD AROUND
100 GIANT EXOPLANETS
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THAT WE CONTRIBUTED
TO THE DISCOVERY.
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AND SO IT WAS VERY ENCOURAGING,
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BUT, OF COURSE, THE DREAM
WAS STILL EARTH-SIZED PLANETS.
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00:09:04,177 --> 00:09:06,945
Narrator: THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE
WAS WORKING PERFECTLY,
175
00:09:06,947 --> 00:09:09,047
BUT 7,000 MILES AWAY,
176
00:09:09,049 --> 00:09:13,118
MICHAEL WAS STILL HOPING
FOR AN HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH.
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00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,655
THEN, ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2015,
178
00:09:16,657 --> 00:09:21,526
A DRAMATIC SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
ENDED IN A HUGE DISCOVERY.
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♪
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♪
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Narrator:
ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2015,
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TRAPPIST WAS SCHEDULED TO WATCH
A VERY FAINT RED DWARF STAR
183
00:09:45,018 --> 00:09:48,420
JUST 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY,
BUT THAT NIGHT,
184
00:09:48,422 --> 00:09:53,258
A POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE
STRUCK NORTHERN CHILE.
185
00:09:53,260 --> 00:09:54,859
THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE
186
00:09:54,861 --> 00:09:57,462
WAS IN ONE OF
THE WORST AFFECTED AREAS,
187
00:09:57,464 --> 00:10:01,600
BUT IT WAS BUILT
TO WITHSTAND SEISMIC EVENTS.
188
00:10:01,602 --> 00:10:03,835
Hibon: WHEN THERE IS
A CERTAIN LEVEL OF EARTHQUAKE,
189
00:10:03,837 --> 00:10:05,170
THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS
190
00:10:05,172 --> 00:10:09,007
IS THAT THE TELESCOPE
IS GOING TO STOP FUNCTIONING.
191
00:10:09,009 --> 00:10:11,242
Gillon:
THE OBSERVATION STOPPED,
192
00:10:11,244 --> 00:10:14,446
AND THE DOME WAS CLOSED
IN SAFE MODE.
193
00:10:14,448 --> 00:10:16,281
AND THEN, IN THE MORNING,
194
00:10:16,283 --> 00:10:18,016
MY STUDENT
NOTICED THE SITUATION,
195
00:10:18,018 --> 00:10:21,920
AND SHE RELAUNCHED
THE OBSERVATION OF THE STAR.
196
00:10:21,922 --> 00:10:24,022
Narrator:
THE TELESCOPE WASN'T DAMAGED,
197
00:10:24,024 --> 00:10:26,391
BUT BY THE TIME
IT WAS WORKING AGAIN,
198
00:10:26,393 --> 00:10:29,894
THE NIGHT WAS NEARLY OVER
AND THERE WERE ONLY THREE HOURS
199
00:10:29,896 --> 00:10:33,965
LEFT TO OBSERVE
THE TARGET STAR BEFORE DAWN.
200
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BACK IN EUROPE,
MICHAEL WAS ANALYZING THE DATA
201
00:10:37,638 --> 00:10:39,871
WHEN SOMETHING CAUGHT HIS EYE.
202
00:10:39,873 --> 00:10:43,208
Gillon: I WAS AT HOME ON MY SOFA
WITH MY LAPTOP,
203
00:10:43,210 --> 00:10:46,344
AND I SAW A VERY CLEAR
TRANSITLIKE SIGNAL,
204
00:10:46,346 --> 00:10:49,014
AND SO I WAS SUPER,
SUPER EXCITED, AND FURTHERMORE,
205
00:10:49,016 --> 00:10:50,849
I KNEW THAT THE STAR WAS SMALL.
206
00:10:50,851 --> 00:10:52,617
SO THE PLANET SHOULD HAVE BEEN
207
00:10:52,619 --> 00:10:55,787
MORE OR LESS
THE SIZE OF THE EARTH.
208
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Narrator: 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY,
AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET
209
00:10:58,992 --> 00:11:01,092
HAD PASSED IN FRONT
OF ITS DWARF STAR,
210
00:11:01,094 --> 00:11:06,064
AND THE EARTHQUAKE ALMOST CAUSED
MICHAEL AND HIS TEAM TO MISS IT.
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00:11:06,066 --> 00:11:11,102
♪
212
00:11:11,104 --> 00:11:14,572
THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE HAD MADE
ITS FIRST DISCOVERY
213
00:11:14,574 --> 00:11:18,243
OF AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET --
A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT.
214
00:11:18,245 --> 00:11:23,782
♪
215
00:11:23,784 --> 00:11:26,985
THE SYSTEM WAS NAMED TRAPPIST-1
IN ITS HONOR,
216
00:11:26,987 --> 00:11:30,722
BUT AS THEY CONTINUED TO WATCH,
IT SOON BECAME CLEAR
217
00:11:30,724 --> 00:11:32,724
THAT THIS WAS NOT
THE REGULAR SIGNAL
218
00:11:32,726 --> 00:11:36,561
YOU'D EXPECT
FROM A SINGLE PLANET.
219
00:11:36,563 --> 00:11:37,896
Gillon:
ONE PLANET SHOULD LEAD
220
00:11:37,898 --> 00:11:39,898
TO ONE FREQUENCY,
ONE PRIORITY --
221
00:11:39,900 --> 00:11:42,967
IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING
LIKE DEET-DEET-DEET-DEET.
222
00:11:42,969 --> 00:11:45,270
YOU LOOKED AT THE DATA,
AND IT'S DEE-DEET,
223
00:11:45,272 --> 00:11:47,105
DEE-DEE-DEE-DEET, DEE-DEET,
DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEET,
224
00:11:47,107 --> 00:11:51,676
DEE-DEET -- SOMETHING LIKE THIS,
SO IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
225
00:11:51,678 --> 00:11:56,748
Narrator: THAT COULD MEAN
ONLY ONE THING -- MORE PLANETS.
226
00:11:56,750 --> 00:11:58,750
BUT TO FIND OUT HOW MANY,
227
00:11:58,752 --> 00:12:01,686
MICHAEL NEEDED
MORE OBSERVATIONS.
228
00:12:01,688 --> 00:12:03,755
OBSERVATORIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD,
229
00:12:03,757 --> 00:12:05,924
INCLUDING
THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE,
230
00:12:05,926 --> 00:12:10,095
SWUNG THEIR GAZE
TOWARD THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR,
231
00:12:10,097 --> 00:12:14,432
AND THE RESULTS
WERE GROUNDBREAKING.
232
00:12:14,434 --> 00:12:16,634
Gillon: AND WE OBSERVED PLENTY,
PLENTY OF NIGHTS WITH
233
00:12:16,636 --> 00:12:19,771
PLENTY, PLENTY OF TRANSIT,
AND AT SOME POINT,
234
00:12:19,773 --> 00:12:22,340
WE ARE SURE THERE WERE
FOUR PLANETS AND FIVE PLANETS,
235
00:12:22,342 --> 00:12:24,309
THEN MAYBE SIX, MAYBE SEVEN.
236
00:12:24,311 --> 00:12:28,146
IN FACT, IT WAS REALLY
TOO COMPLEX FOR US TO DECIPHER
237
00:12:28,148 --> 00:12:31,216
BECAUSE WE WERE OBSERVING
FROM THE GROUND, FROM EARTH,
238
00:12:31,218 --> 00:12:34,352
AND WE KNEW WE NEEDED
VERY PRECISE OBSERVATION
239
00:12:34,354 --> 00:12:36,321
AND CONTINUOUS OBSERVATION.
240
00:12:36,323 --> 00:12:38,923
♪
241
00:12:38,925 --> 00:12:41,126
Narrator: THE ONLY WAY
TO GET A CLEAR ENOUGH PICTURE
242
00:12:41,128 --> 00:12:44,462
OF THE RED DWARF STAR
WOULD BE TO VIEW IT FROM SPACE.
243
00:12:44,464 --> 00:12:46,931
♪
244
00:12:46,933 --> 00:12:50,368
TELESCOPES BEYOND EARTH
ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN,
245
00:12:50,370 --> 00:12:54,239
SO TIME ON THEM IS LIMITED.
246
00:12:54,241 --> 00:12:57,475
BUT AS NEWS SPREAD OF
THIS EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY,
247
00:12:57,477 --> 00:13:01,679
EVERY RESOURCE WAS SOON
PUT AT THEIR DISPOSAL,
248
00:13:01,681 --> 00:13:05,383
INCLUDING ONE OF NASA's
FOUR GREAT OBSERVATORIES,
249
00:13:05,385 --> 00:13:08,286
THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE.
250
00:13:08,288 --> 00:13:10,355
ASTRONOMER SEAN CAREY RUNS
251
00:13:10,357 --> 00:13:13,525
NASA's SPITZER SCIENCE CENTER
IN CALIFORNIA.
252
00:13:13,527 --> 00:13:15,460
♪
253
00:13:15,462 --> 00:13:18,530
SO, THIS IS A MODEL OF
THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE.
254
00:13:18,532 --> 00:13:20,031
IT'S A 1/3 SCALE MODEL,
255
00:13:20,033 --> 00:13:22,200
SO ADD TWO MORE OF THESE
ON TOP --
256
00:13:22,202 --> 00:13:26,037
THEN YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW BIG
THE TELESCOPE IS IN SPACE.
257
00:13:26,039 --> 00:13:28,206
Narrator: SPITZER WAS
THE PERFECT INSTRUMENT
258
00:13:28,208 --> 00:13:33,311
TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT TRAPPIST-1.
259
00:13:33,313 --> 00:13:35,046
FIRST,
IT'S AN INFRARED TELESCOPE,
260
00:13:35,048 --> 00:13:39,551
SO THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR IS 4,000
TIMES BRIGHTER IN THE INFRARED
261
00:13:39,553 --> 00:13:40,885
THAN IT IS IN VISIBLE LIGHT.
262
00:13:40,887 --> 00:13:42,754
THE SECOND THING
IS SPITZER'S ORBIT,
263
00:13:42,756 --> 00:13:44,589
BECAUSE SPITZER
ISN'T ON THE EARTH,
264
00:13:44,591 --> 00:13:46,090
SO IT DOESN'T HAVE DAY/NIGHT.
265
00:13:46,092 --> 00:13:48,459
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO STOP
OBSERVING WHEN THE SUN COMES UP,
266
00:13:48,461 --> 00:13:52,530
AND THAT ALLOWS US TO LOOK AT
OBJECTS FOR A MUCH LONGER TIME.
267
00:13:52,532 --> 00:13:55,200
Narrator: THE SPACE TELESCOPE
WATCHED THE TRAPPIST STAR
268
00:13:55,202 --> 00:13:59,537
FOR OVER 20 CONTINUOUS
DAYS AND NIGHTS.
269
00:13:59,539 --> 00:14:03,541
Carey: SO, THESE ARE IMAGES
FROM SPITZER OF TRAPPIST-1,
270
00:14:03,543 --> 00:14:06,377
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT
271
00:14:06,379 --> 00:14:08,613
ARE THE DATA
THAT WERE USED TO DETERMINE
272
00:14:08,615 --> 00:14:10,515
THE NUMBER OF PLANETS
AROUND TRAPPIST-1
273
00:14:10,517 --> 00:14:12,717
AND HELP US
TO DETERMINE THEIR PROPERTIES.
274
00:14:12,719 --> 00:14:15,820
AND SO, IF YOU MEASURE THE
AMOUNT OF WHITE FROM THE STAR
275
00:14:15,822 --> 00:14:17,922
AND THEN PLOT THAT
AS A FUNCTION OF TIME --
276
00:14:17,924 --> 00:14:20,158
THIS IS WHAT ASTRONOMERS DO --
YOU SEE THESE DIPS,
277
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,294
BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN A PLANET
PASSES IN FRONT OF THE STAR.
278
00:14:23,296 --> 00:14:25,330
WHEN WE SAW THIS, THAT WAS --
279
00:14:25,332 --> 00:14:29,000
IT WAS A VERY HAPPY MORNING
WHEN WE MADE THIS PLOT.
280
00:14:29,002 --> 00:14:31,102
Narrator:
SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD
281
00:14:31,104 --> 00:14:33,037
RACED TO DECIPHER THE SIGNAL.
282
00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:37,475
WE ANALYZED THE DATA AS SOON
AS THEY CAME FROM SPACE,
283
00:14:37,477 --> 00:14:39,210
AND THE CONCLUSION
THAT THERE WERE SEVEN PLANETS
284
00:14:39,212 --> 00:14:42,347
WAS INESCAPABLE.
285
00:14:42,349 --> 00:14:45,016
MY BEST HOPE WOULD HAVE BEEN
TO DETECT ONE PLANET,
286
00:14:45,018 --> 00:14:46,584
SO THIS SYSTEM OF SEVEN PLANETS
287
00:14:46,586 --> 00:14:48,820
CAME OUT THE BLUE
TO OUR SURPRISE,
288
00:14:48,822 --> 00:14:52,924
AND REALLY LIKE WINNING THE
LOTTERY, SORT OF COSMIC LOTTERY.
289
00:14:52,926 --> 00:14:56,261
♪
290
00:14:56,263 --> 00:14:59,597
Narrator: PLANET HUNTER
EXTRAORDINAIRE MICHAEL GILLON
291
00:14:59,599 --> 00:15:02,133
HAD MADE AN HISTORIC DISCOVERY,
292
00:15:02,135 --> 00:15:06,237
ARMED WITH
A REMARKABLY SMALL TELESCOPE.
293
00:15:06,239 --> 00:15:09,507
BUT THIS WAS JUST THE BEGINNING
OF THE STORY.
294
00:15:09,509 --> 00:15:15,647
♪
295
00:15:23,189 --> 00:15:27,292
♪
296
00:15:27,294 --> 00:15:29,160
Narrator:
SINCE THE HISTORIC DISCOVERY
297
00:15:29,162 --> 00:15:32,997
OF THE SEVEN EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
THAT SURROUND THE TRAPPIST STAR,
298
00:15:32,999 --> 00:15:35,867
SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN
PIECING TOGETHER THE DATA,
299
00:15:35,869 --> 00:15:38,403
LEARNING MORE
ABOUT THESE ALIEN WORLDS,
300
00:15:38,405 --> 00:15:40,605
AND GIVING A GLIMPSE
OF HOW THEY MIGHT LOOK
301
00:15:40,607 --> 00:15:43,107
FROM A NEIGHBORING PLANET.
302
00:15:43,109 --> 00:15:44,542
Gillon:
THE SYSTEM IS UNIQUE,
303
00:15:44,544 --> 00:15:46,811
NOT ONLY BY THE SHEER NUMBER
OF EARTH-SIZED PLANETS,
304
00:15:46,813 --> 00:15:50,248
BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF ITS
VERY COMPACT CONFIGURATION --
305
00:15:50,250 --> 00:15:52,951
THE PLANETS ARE VERY CLOSE
TO EACH OTHER.
306
00:15:52,953 --> 00:15:55,853
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE
THE VIEWS YOU SHOULD HAVE
307
00:15:55,855 --> 00:15:57,322
FROM THE SURFACE
OF ONE OF THESE PLANETS --
308
00:15:57,324 --> 00:15:59,958
YOU WOULD SEE THE OTHER PLANETS
LIKE WE SEE THE MOON.
309
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:02,060
SO YOU WOULD SEE
ALL THE DETAILS,
310
00:16:02,062 --> 00:16:03,561
NOT JUST A DOT OF LIGHT,
311
00:16:03,563 --> 00:16:06,597
BUT YOU WOULD REALLY SEE --
I DON'T KNOW --
312
00:16:06,599 --> 00:16:10,134
THE CLOUDS, THE CONTINENTS,
WHATEVER IS THERE.
313
00:16:10,136 --> 00:16:12,770
Narrator: AS WELL AS THE PLANETS
BEING NEAR EACH OTHER,
314
00:16:12,772 --> 00:16:15,573
THEY ARE ALSO MUCH CLOSER
TO THEIR STAR,
315
00:16:15,575 --> 00:16:18,943
KNOWN AS TRAPPIST-1a.
316
00:16:18,945 --> 00:16:20,812
THE INNER TWO PLANETS,
317
00:16:20,814 --> 00:16:24,248
TRAPPIST-1b AND 1c,
ARE IN A DANGER ZONE,
318
00:16:24,250 --> 00:16:27,251
OVER 60 TIMES CLOSER
TO THE RED DWARF STAR
319
00:16:27,253 --> 00:16:29,253
THAN THE EARTH IS TO THE SUN.
320
00:16:29,255 --> 00:16:31,189
♪
321
00:16:31,191 --> 00:16:33,958
Loeb: FROM THE SURFACE
OF ITS NEAREST PLANET,
322
00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,061
TRAPPIST-1 WOULD APPEAR
10 TIMES BIGGER
323
00:16:37,063 --> 00:16:39,998
THAN THE SUN
LOOKS TO US HERE ON EARTH.
324
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,902
IT WOULD BE RED AND HEATING
THE SURFACE TO A TEMPERATURE
325
00:16:44,904 --> 00:16:49,040
THAT IS WELL ABOVE THE BOILING
TEMPERATURE OF WATER,
326
00:16:49,042 --> 00:16:55,446
SO IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HOT
ON A SUNNY DAY OUT THERE.
327
00:16:55,448 --> 00:16:58,249
Narrator: HARVARD PROFESSOR
AVI LOEB HAS STUDIED
328
00:16:58,251 --> 00:17:01,419
HOW STARS
CAN AFFECT NEARBY PLANETS.
329
00:17:01,421 --> 00:17:05,590
THE INNER TWO TRAPPIST WORLDS
ARE SO CLOSE TO THE RED DWARF
330
00:17:05,592 --> 00:17:07,625
THAT ONE SIDE OF EACH PLANET
331
00:17:07,627 --> 00:17:12,830
IS THOUGHT TO BE GRAVITATIONALLY
LOCKED TO ALWAYS FACE ITS SUN,
332
00:17:12,832 --> 00:17:16,200
MEANING ONE HEMISPHERE
WOULD BE CONTINUOUSLY BLASTED
333
00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:17,635
BY INTENSE RADIATION,
334
00:17:17,637 --> 00:17:22,106
WHILE THE OTHER IS TRAPPED
IN PERPETUAL DARKNESS.
335
00:17:22,108 --> 00:17:26,644
ONE SIDE OF THE PLANET THAT IS
FACING THE STAR WOULD BE SO HOT
336
00:17:26,646 --> 00:17:30,281
THAT LIQUID WATER
WOULD BOIL OFF THE SURFACE.
337
00:17:30,283 --> 00:17:33,818
THE OTHER SIDE WOULD BE
EXTREMELY COLD, SUCH THAT
338
00:17:33,820 --> 00:17:37,355
IF THERE IS ANY WATER THERE,
IT WOULD BECOME ICE.
339
00:17:37,357 --> 00:17:39,123
IN BETWEEN THE TWO REGIONS,
340
00:17:39,125 --> 00:17:41,793
THERE IS
A PERMANENT SUNSET STRIP
341
00:17:41,795 --> 00:17:45,129
FROM WHICH ONE CAN ALWAYS
SEE THE SUNSET.
342
00:17:45,131 --> 00:17:49,801
♪
343
00:17:49,803 --> 00:17:51,636
Narrator:
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
344
00:17:51,638 --> 00:17:53,204
ON PLANET TRAPPIST-1b
345
00:17:53,206 --> 00:17:57,241
COULD BE AROUND
270 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
346
00:17:57,243 --> 00:17:58,643
BUT ON THE DAY SIDE,
347
00:17:58,645 --> 00:18:01,879
IT COULD GET
MUCH HOTTER THAN THAT.
348
00:18:01,881 --> 00:18:04,015
THE EXTREME HEAT FROM THE STAR
349
00:18:04,017 --> 00:18:07,385
MIGHT EVEN CREATE A THICK HAZE
COVERING THE SURFACE.
350
00:18:07,387 --> 00:18:11,856
♪
351
00:18:11,858 --> 00:18:14,926
BUT AS WELL AS SCORCHING
THE INNER PLANETS FROM ABOVE,
352
00:18:14,928 --> 00:18:17,528
THE RED DWARF STAR
ALSO GENERATES
353
00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:21,599
INCREDIBLY POWERFUL
MAGNETIC FIELDS.
354
00:18:21,601 --> 00:18:25,903
DR. KRISTINA KISLYAKOVA HAS
STUDIED HOW THIS INVISIBLE FORCE
355
00:18:25,905 --> 00:18:29,207
CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE THE PLANETS
CLOSEST TO THE STAR
356
00:18:29,209 --> 00:18:32,543
TO HEAT UP FROM THE INSIDE.
357
00:18:32,545 --> 00:18:36,280
SHE'S COME TO A FOUNDRY
THAT MELTS STEEL INSIDE FURNACES
358
00:18:36,282 --> 00:18:40,885
BY GENERATING
A POWERFUL MAGNETIC FIELD.
359
00:18:40,887 --> 00:18:43,054
Kislyakova:
SO, HERE, WE ARE LOOKING AT
360
00:18:43,056 --> 00:18:44,322
A FEW INDUCTION FURNACES,
361
00:18:44,324 --> 00:18:46,791
WHICH ARE USED
TO MELT MATERIALS,
362
00:18:46,793 --> 00:18:49,460
ESPECIALLY METAL,
USING INDUCTION-HEATING EFFECT,
363
00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:52,363
AND THE SAME VERY EFFECT
CAN BE AT WORK
364
00:18:52,365 --> 00:18:55,299
IN THE TRAPPIST-1
PLANETARY SYSTEM.
365
00:18:55,301 --> 00:18:57,535
Narrator: THE MAGNETIC FIELD
CHANGES DIRECTION
366
00:18:57,537 --> 00:18:59,604
200 TIMES EVERY SECOND,
367
00:18:59,606 --> 00:19:03,941
TRIGGERING INTENSE ELECTRICAL
CURRENTS DEEP INSIDE THE METAL.
368
00:19:03,943 --> 00:19:06,244
AS ELECTRONS SWARM THROUGH
THE STEEL,
369
00:19:06,246 --> 00:19:08,045
THEY CRASH INTO ITS ATOMS,
370
00:19:08,047 --> 00:19:11,616
HEATING IT TO OVER
2,500 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
371
00:19:11,618 --> 00:19:14,085
♪
372
00:19:14,087 --> 00:19:16,354
AS THE PLANETS HURTLE 'ROUND
THE STAR,
373
00:19:16,356 --> 00:19:19,624
THEY PASS THROUGH A RAPIDLY
CHANGING MAGNETIC FIELD,
374
00:19:19,626 --> 00:19:21,926
WHICH HEATS METALS
DEEP WITHIN THEM.
375
00:19:21,928 --> 00:19:25,863
♪
376
00:19:25,865 --> 00:19:28,399
THIS PHENOMENON
IS FAR MORE POWERFUL
377
00:19:28,401 --> 00:19:30,801
THAN IT IS
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM
378
00:19:30,803 --> 00:19:33,905
BECAUSE THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR
HAS A MAGNETIC FIELD
379
00:19:33,907 --> 00:19:37,375
HUNDREDS OF TIMES
STRONGER THAN OUR SUN,
380
00:19:37,377 --> 00:19:41,145
AND ITS PLANETS ARE MUCH NEARER.
381
00:19:41,147 --> 00:19:44,115
THE CLOSER YOU GO TO THE STAR,
THE STRONGER THE EFFECT WILL BE,
382
00:19:44,117 --> 00:19:46,450
SIMPLY BECAUSE
THE MAGNETIC FIELD
383
00:19:46,452 --> 00:19:48,753
WILL BE STRONGER
CLOSER TO THE STAR.
384
00:19:48,755 --> 00:19:50,922
SO, IN TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM
PLANETS,
385
00:19:50,924 --> 00:19:53,157
b AND c HAVE
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECT.
386
00:19:53,159 --> 00:19:54,926
IF THE MAGNETIC FIELD
IS STRONG ENOUGH,
387
00:19:54,928 --> 00:19:58,262
IT WILL BASICALLY CREATE
CURRENTS OF SUCH STRENGTH
388
00:19:58,264 --> 00:20:00,431
THAT IT WILL MELT
THE PLANETARY MANTLE.
389
00:20:00,433 --> 00:20:03,367
♪
390
00:20:03,369 --> 00:20:06,103
Narrator: KRISTINA'S STUDY
PREDICTS THAT MOLTEN ROCK
391
00:20:06,105 --> 00:20:09,874
COULD BE FLOWING UNDER THE
SURFACE OF THE INNER PLANETS,
392
00:20:09,876 --> 00:20:11,809
AND JUST LIKE ON EARTH,
393
00:20:11,811 --> 00:20:14,645
WHEN PLANETS
HAVE MOLTEN ROCK INSIDE,
394
00:20:14,647 --> 00:20:18,149
IT WILL SOMETIMES FORCE ITS WAY
TO THE SURFACE,
395
00:20:18,151 --> 00:20:20,284
CREATING VOLCANOES.
396
00:20:20,286 --> 00:20:23,120
♪
397
00:20:23,122 --> 00:20:26,824
THE CLOSEST WORLDS TO THE STAR
COULD BE COVERED IN VOLCANOES
398
00:20:26,826 --> 00:20:28,826
ALL OVER THEIR SURFACE.
399
00:20:28,828 --> 00:20:32,096
MAYBE ONE CAN IMAGINE THAT IT
KIND OF LOOKS SOMETHING SIMILAR
400
00:20:32,098 --> 00:20:34,265
TO THIS FURNACE,
WHERE ONE CAN SEE
401
00:20:34,267 --> 00:20:37,201
THE MOLTEN METAL
WITH FUMES COMING OUT OF IT.
402
00:20:37,203 --> 00:20:40,171
♪
403
00:20:40,173 --> 00:20:41,505
Narrator:
ALTHOUGH NOT AS VOLCANIC
404
00:20:41,507 --> 00:20:42,940
AS THE INNERMOST PLANET,
405
00:20:42,942 --> 00:20:48,746
TRAPPIST-1c IS LESS LIKELY TO BE
SHROUDED IN A HOT, GASSY HAZE,
406
00:20:48,748 --> 00:20:52,783
REVEALING A POCKMARKED,
DESOLATE SURFACE.
407
00:20:52,785 --> 00:20:55,319
IT MAY LOOK LIKE
A MUCH HOTTER VERSION
408
00:20:55,321 --> 00:20:58,556
OF THE MOST VOLCANIC BODY
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM,
409
00:20:58,558 --> 00:21:00,691
JUPITER'S MOON IO.
410
00:21:00,693 --> 00:21:04,161
♪
411
00:21:04,163 --> 00:21:06,197
BEYOND THE FIERY DANGER ZONE,
412
00:21:06,199 --> 00:21:10,534
THE NEXT TWO PLANETS ARE IN
A COOLER, MORE TEMPERATE ZONE.
413
00:21:10,536 --> 00:21:14,505
IN FACT, SCIENTISTS HAVE
CALCULATED THAT TRAPPIST-1d
414
00:21:14,507 --> 00:21:18,009
AND 1e GET A SIMILAR AMOUNT
OF HEAT FROM THEIR STAR
415
00:21:18,011 --> 00:21:21,445
AS THE EARTH DOES FROM THE SUN.
416
00:21:21,447 --> 00:21:24,749
BUT TO FIND OUT HOW SIMILAR
THEY REALLY ARE TO OUR WORLD,
417
00:21:24,751 --> 00:21:27,518
SCIENTISTS ARE STRIVING
TO DISCOVER MORE
418
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:28,919
ABOUT THESE PLANETS,
419
00:21:28,921 --> 00:21:31,355
AND THEY'RE MAKING
GOOD PROGRESS.
420
00:21:31,357 --> 00:21:34,792
♪
421
00:21:42,068 --> 00:21:45,469
♪
422
00:21:45,471 --> 00:21:48,105
Narrator: AT NASA's
SPITZER SCIENCE CENTER,
423
00:21:48,107 --> 00:21:51,776
ASTRONOMER SEAN CAREY
IS PART OF A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS
424
00:21:51,778 --> 00:21:55,212
MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN THE RACE
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
425
00:21:55,214 --> 00:21:58,316
THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS
OF TRAPPIST-1.
426
00:21:58,318 --> 00:22:01,819
WE KNOW AN AMAZING AMOUNT
ABOUT THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS,
427
00:22:01,821 --> 00:22:03,154
COMPARED TO OTHER EXOPLANETS.
428
00:22:03,156 --> 00:22:06,490
IN FACT, WE KNOW MORE ABOUT
THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM
429
00:22:06,492 --> 00:22:10,561
THAN ANY OTHER PLANETARY SYSTEM
EXCEPT FOR OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.
430
00:22:10,563 --> 00:22:12,697
Narrator: SCIENTISTS WERE ABLE
TO WORK OUT THE MASS
431
00:22:12,699 --> 00:22:15,366
AND SIZE OF EACH PLANET
FROM THE SPITZER DATA
432
00:22:15,368 --> 00:22:19,470
AND COULD THEN USE THESE RESULTS
TO CALCULATE HOW DENSE THEY ARE.
433
00:22:19,472 --> 00:22:20,905
LIKE ALL KINDS OF ROCKS,
434
00:22:20,907 --> 00:22:23,074
SOME ARE MUCH DENSER
THAN OTHERS.
435
00:22:23,076 --> 00:22:25,643
♪
436
00:22:25,645 --> 00:22:27,878
SO, HERE ARE A SELECTION
OF METEORITES.
437
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,147
MOST OF THESE ARE FROM ASTEROIDS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
438
00:22:30,149 --> 00:22:32,383
AND THIS ONE HERE IS FROM MARS.
439
00:22:32,385 --> 00:22:33,918
THIS ONE HERE IS VERY DARK.
440
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:35,619
IT'S RATHER HEAVY.
441
00:22:35,621 --> 00:22:38,522
IT'S MADE MOSTLY OF IRON.
442
00:22:38,524 --> 00:22:40,124
THIS ONE IS MUCH ROCKIER.
443
00:22:40,126 --> 00:22:44,028
IT'S A MIXTURE OF IRON ROCK,
BUT MORE ROCK THAN IRON.
444
00:22:44,030 --> 00:22:48,366
IT'S MUCH LIGHTER THAN
AND MUCH LESS DENSE THAN THIS.
445
00:22:48,368 --> 00:22:51,268
Narrator: AS WITH METEORITES,
THE DENSITY OF A PLANET
446
00:22:51,270 --> 00:22:53,738
CAN GIVE YOU A CLUE
AS TO WHAT IT'S MADE OF,
447
00:22:53,740 --> 00:22:55,706
AND THE MOST
TANTALIZING SUBSTANCES
448
00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:59,443
TO FIND ON THE TRAPPIST WORLD
WOULD BE THE LEAST DENSE,
449
00:22:59,445 --> 00:23:02,213
LIKE WATER
AND A GASSY ATMOSPHERE.
450
00:23:02,215 --> 00:23:05,049
♪
451
00:23:05,051 --> 00:23:08,052
WHEN THE DENSITY OF THE PLANETS
WAS FINALLY CALCULATED,
452
00:23:08,054 --> 00:23:10,321
THE TEAM GAINED
A FASCINATING GLIMPSE
453
00:23:10,323 --> 00:23:13,524
OF WHAT
THESE WORLDS MIGHT BE LIKE.
454
00:23:13,526 --> 00:23:15,493
THE DENSITIES TELL US THAT
THEY'RE LIGHTER
455
00:23:15,495 --> 00:23:17,795
THAN A PURE BALL OF ROCK,
THAT THERE HAS TO BE
456
00:23:17,797 --> 00:23:22,266
LIGHTER MATERIAL, LIKE WATER
OR LIKE CARBON DIOXIDE.
457
00:23:22,268 --> 00:23:24,735
TRAPPIST-1d AND e,
WHICH HAVE TEMPERATURES
458
00:23:24,737 --> 00:23:26,971
WHICH ARE KIND OF SIMILAR
TO THE EARTH,
459
00:23:26,973 --> 00:23:29,273
WOULD POTENTIALLY
HAVE LIQUIDS ON THEIR SURFACE,
460
00:23:29,275 --> 00:23:31,575
POTENTIALLY LIQUID WATER.
461
00:23:31,577 --> 00:23:33,644
BUT, THEN, YOU KNOW, IF YOU
START TALKING ABOUT WATER,
462
00:23:33,646 --> 00:23:35,546
YOU CAN TALK ABOUT
THE POTENTIAL FOR LIFE,
463
00:23:35,548 --> 00:23:38,516
SO EVERYBODY'S EXCITED
ABOUT THAT.
464
00:23:38,518 --> 00:23:40,885
Narrator: SCIENTISTS THINK
BOTH THE TRAPPIST PLANETS
465
00:23:40,887 --> 00:23:43,621
IN THE TEMPERATE ZONE
HAVE WATER ON THEM.
466
00:23:43,623 --> 00:23:47,491
TRAPPIST-1d IS ACTUALLY THE
LEAST DENSE OF ALL THE PLANETS,
467
00:23:47,493 --> 00:23:53,330
WHICH MEANS IT COULD HAVE
250 TIMES MORE WATER THAN EARTH.
468
00:23:53,332 --> 00:23:56,367
WITH A WARM CLIMATE,
IT COULD BE A WATER WORLD,
469
00:23:56,369 --> 00:24:00,271
COVERED BY A DEEP OCEAN
OVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE.
470
00:24:00,273 --> 00:24:05,376
♪
471
00:24:05,378 --> 00:24:07,845
THE FOURTH PLANET, HOWEVER,
TRAPPIST-1e,
472
00:24:07,847 --> 00:24:10,848
HAS ALMOST THE SAME DENSITY
AS EARTH,
473
00:24:10,850 --> 00:24:14,885
SUGGESTING IT COULD HAVE
A MIX OF OCEANS AND LAND,
474
00:24:14,887 --> 00:24:17,755
WHICH WOULD MAKE IT LOOK
EERILY LIKE OUR HOME.
475
00:24:17,757 --> 00:24:24,795
♪
476
00:24:24,797 --> 00:24:26,931
BEYOND THIS TEMPERATE ZONE,
477
00:24:26,933 --> 00:24:32,036
THE LAST THREE PLANETS RECEIVE
MUCH LESS HEAT FROM THEIR STAR.
478
00:24:32,038 --> 00:24:34,905
IN ITS FRIGID ZONE,
THESE OUTERMOST WORLDS
479
00:24:34,907 --> 00:24:39,743
ALSO HAVE A LOW ENOUGH DENSITY
TO HAVE WATER IN SOME FORM.
480
00:24:39,745 --> 00:24:42,546
TO FIND OUT IF THEY'RE ALL
JUST FROZEN ICE BALLS,
481
00:24:42,548 --> 00:24:47,318
SCIENTISTS NEED TO KNOW
ANOTHER CRUCIAL DETAIL.
482
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:52,590
DR. ALEXANDRIA JOHNSON CREATES
ALIEN SKIES IN HER LAB.
483
00:24:52,592 --> 00:24:53,624
Johnson:
WE'RE TRYING TO SIMULATE
484
00:24:53,626 --> 00:24:54,725
EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERES --
485
00:24:54,727 --> 00:24:55,960
IN PARTICULAR,
WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT
486
00:24:55,962 --> 00:24:57,761
HOW EXOPLANET CLOUDS
SCATTER LIGHT,
487
00:24:57,763 --> 00:24:59,430
'CAUSE IT TELLS US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE
488
00:24:59,432 --> 00:25:02,066
AND THE CLIMATE ON THAT SYSTEM.
489
00:25:02,068 --> 00:25:05,269
Narrator: BY FIRING A LASER
AT CLOUD PARTICLES IN A CHAMBER,
490
00:25:05,271 --> 00:25:09,473
ALEXANDRIA CAN SEE IF THE LIGHT
GETS ABSORBED BY THE ATMOSPHERE
491
00:25:09,475 --> 00:25:12,877
OR REFLECTED BACK OUT TO SPACE.
492
00:25:12,879 --> 00:25:16,280
SHE CAN THEN MULTIPLY THE EFFECT
BY THE MILLIONS OF PARTICLES
493
00:25:16,282 --> 00:25:20,985
IN A CLOUD TO SIMULATE THE
OVERALL IMPACT ON AN EXOPLANET.
494
00:25:20,987 --> 00:25:22,586
Johnson: SO, WE DON'T QUITE KNOW
IF THERE ARE CLOUDS
495
00:25:22,588 --> 00:25:24,054
ON THE TRAPPIST PLANETS YET,
496
00:25:24,056 --> 00:25:26,390
BUT IF WE STUDY THEM
IN THIS MANNER,
497
00:25:26,392 --> 00:25:28,192
WE CAN GET AN IDEA
OF HOW MUCH STARLIGHT
498
00:25:28,194 --> 00:25:30,094
IS ACTUALLY MAKING IT
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,
499
00:25:30,096 --> 00:25:31,829
AND THUS, HOW WARM
THE ATMOSPHERES COULD BE
500
00:25:31,831 --> 00:25:35,266
AND WHAT SORT OF CLIMATES
MIGHT BE ON THESE PLANETS.
501
00:25:35,268 --> 00:25:38,269
Narrator: THE CLOUDS AROUND
A PLANET CAN CHANGE ITS CLIMATE,
502
00:25:38,271 --> 00:25:42,439
AND SO CAN THE GASES
IN ITS ATMOSPHERE.
503
00:25:42,441 --> 00:25:46,043
TO STUDY THAT, THERE'S NO BETTER
LAB THAN THE EARTH ITSELF.
504
00:25:46,045 --> 00:25:48,512
FORTUNATELY, ALEXANDRIA'S LAB
505
00:25:48,514 --> 00:25:52,182
IS IN THE TALLEST BUILDING
IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,
506
00:25:52,184 --> 00:25:56,186
THE PERFECT SPOT
FOR A WEATHER STATION.
507
00:25:56,188 --> 00:25:58,822
SO, IN BOSTON, IN MASSACHUSETTS,
WE'VE BEEN RECORDING
508
00:25:58,824 --> 00:26:01,158
THE TEMPERATURE
SINCE THE EARLY 1900s,
509
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,994
AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT
OVER THE 20th CENTURY,
510
00:26:03,996 --> 00:26:05,729
THERE'S AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE.
511
00:26:05,731 --> 00:26:07,565
BUT OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS,
512
00:26:07,567 --> 00:26:08,666
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR THE YEAR
513
00:26:08,668 --> 00:26:10,267
HAS ALWAYS BEEN HIGHER
THAN THAT.
514
00:26:10,269 --> 00:26:11,835
SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING
IS CONTINUAL WARMING
515
00:26:11,837 --> 00:26:13,571
OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
516
00:26:13,573 --> 00:26:16,473
IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME TREND
WE SEE ALL OVER THE WORLD.
517
00:26:16,475 --> 00:26:18,609
♪
518
00:26:18,611 --> 00:26:20,377
Narrator:
IT'S NOW WELL-KNOWN THIS WARMING
519
00:26:20,379 --> 00:26:24,114
IS CAUSED BY MORE GREENHOUSE
GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
520
00:26:24,116 --> 00:26:26,350
Johnson: THE MAIN ONES
ARE CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE,
521
00:26:26,352 --> 00:26:28,586
AND THEY COLLECT
THE INFRARED RADIATION
522
00:26:28,588 --> 00:26:30,054
THAT'S GIVEN OFF BY THE SURFACE,
523
00:26:30,056 --> 00:26:32,957
AND THEN, THEY, IN TURN,
HEAT THE ATMOSPHERE.
524
00:26:32,959 --> 00:26:34,391
Narrator:
JUST LIKE ON EARTH,
525
00:26:34,393 --> 00:26:37,995
THESE GASES CAN TRAP HEAT
ON EXOPLANETS.
526
00:26:37,997 --> 00:26:41,065
ASTRONOMERS HAVE CALCULATED THAT
WITHOUT AN ATMOSPHERE,
527
00:26:41,067 --> 00:26:45,402
THE OUTER TRAPPIST PLANETS
WOULD BE FROZEN SOLID,
528
00:26:45,404 --> 00:26:48,305
BUT WITH THE RIGHT
KIND OF ATMOSPHERE AND CLOUDS,
529
00:26:48,307 --> 00:26:51,675
THESE GIANT SNOWBALLS
COULD WARM UP.
530
00:26:51,677 --> 00:26:53,944
IF YOU PUT INTO A SYSTEM
THESE GREENHOUSE GASES,
531
00:26:53,946 --> 00:26:55,980
CREATE A SUBSTANTIAL ATMOSPHERE,
532
00:26:55,982 --> 00:26:58,449
YOU CAN BEGIN TO TRAP
THE RADIATION FROM THAT STAR,
533
00:26:58,451 --> 00:27:00,317
THEN YOU CAN HAVE WARMING,
AND YOU COULD ACTUALLY,
534
00:27:00,319 --> 00:27:03,253
POTENTIALLY,
HAVE LIQUID AT THE SURFACE.
535
00:27:03,255 --> 00:27:05,856
♪
536
00:27:05,858 --> 00:27:07,825
Narrator:
WITH HELP FROM AN ATMOSPHERE,
537
00:27:07,827 --> 00:27:11,895
CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT
PLANET TRAPPIST-1f RECEIVES
538
00:27:11,897 --> 00:27:16,400
JUST ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT WATER
AT ITS WARMEST REGION,
539
00:27:16,402 --> 00:27:20,504
AN ICE-RIMMED OCEAN FORMING
THE PUPIL OF A FROZEN EYEBALL
540
00:27:20,506 --> 00:27:23,507
STARING AT ITS SUN.
541
00:27:23,509 --> 00:27:24,975
BUT THE LAST TWO PLANETS
542
00:27:24,977 --> 00:27:27,978
HAVE LESS HOPE OF LIQUID WATER
ON THEIR SURFACE.
543
00:27:27,980 --> 00:27:31,649
Johnson: TRAPPIST PLANETS 1g AND
1h ARE FURTHER FROM THEIR STAR,
544
00:27:31,651 --> 00:27:33,017
SO THEY RECEIVE LESS RADIATION,
545
00:27:33,019 --> 00:27:34,718
WHICH MEANS IT'S ACTUALLY
CONSIDERED TO BE PAST
546
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:36,987
THE ICE LINE,
WHICH IS A TEMPERATURE REGIME
547
00:27:36,989 --> 00:27:38,856
WHERE THE VOLATILE,
SUCH AS WATER,
548
00:27:38,858 --> 00:27:42,626
WOULD BE LOCKED UP
IN SOLIDS, LIKE ICE.
549
00:27:42,628 --> 00:27:45,529
Narrator: PLANET TRAPPIST-1g
RECEIVES SO LITTLE HEAT
550
00:27:45,531 --> 00:27:48,032
FROM THE STAR
THAT EVEN WITH AN ATMOSPHERE,
551
00:27:48,034 --> 00:27:51,802
ITS SURFACE IS LIKELY
COVERED IN SOLID ICE.
552
00:27:51,804 --> 00:27:54,171
WITHOUT ONE,
IT COULD BE AS BITTERLY COLD
553
00:27:54,173 --> 00:27:59,877
AS NIGHT ON MARS --
MINUS 112 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
554
00:27:59,879 --> 00:28:04,081
FINALLY, THE FRIGID OUTERMOST
WORLD OF THE TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM
555
00:28:04,083 --> 00:28:06,717
IS THE COLDEST OF ALL.
556
00:28:06,719 --> 00:28:09,186
WITH A SURFACE TEMPERATURE
PREDICTED TO BE NO MORE
557
00:28:09,188 --> 00:28:11,955
THAN 150 DEGREES BELOW FREEZING,
558
00:28:11,957 --> 00:28:15,959
IT COULD BE ALMOST AS COLD
AS JUPITER'S LARGEST MOON,
559
00:28:15,961 --> 00:28:17,861
ICY GANYMEDE.
560
00:28:17,863 --> 00:28:23,834
♪
561
00:28:23,836 --> 00:28:30,941
THE UNREMARKABLE TRAPPIST-1 STAR
HAS SEVEN EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS,
562
00:28:30,943 --> 00:28:34,311
OF WHICH AT LEAST THREE
MAY HAVE THICK ATMOSPHERES
563
00:28:34,313 --> 00:28:38,015
AND LIQUID WATER
ON THEIR SURFACES,
564
00:28:38,017 --> 00:28:43,053
FEATURES THAT WOULD MAKE THE
PLANETS POTENTIALLY HABITABLE.
565
00:28:43,055 --> 00:28:45,656
AND THAT RAISES
AN ENTICING QUESTION --
566
00:28:45,658 --> 00:28:49,026
COULD THESE WORLDS
ALSO HARBOR LIFE?
567
00:28:49,028 --> 00:28:52,496
♪
568
00:28:59,972 --> 00:29:04,074
♪
569
00:29:04,076 --> 00:29:06,009
Narrator:
AS SCIENTISTS LEARN MORE
570
00:29:06,011 --> 00:29:07,611
ABOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS
571
00:29:07,613 --> 00:29:10,047
THAT SURROUND
THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR,
572
00:29:10,049 --> 00:29:12,416
THEY'RE FINDING THAT
AT LEAST THREE OF THEM
573
00:29:12,418 --> 00:29:16,620
HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR LIFE,
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
574
00:29:16,622 --> 00:29:19,156
TO GIVE EVOLUTION ENOUGH TIME
TO GET STARTED,
575
00:29:19,158 --> 00:29:21,358
YOU ALSO NEED STABILITY...
576
00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:23,460
♪
577
00:29:23,462 --> 00:29:27,030
...SOMETHING THE TRAPPIST
PLANETS, AT FIRST, SEEM TO LACK.
578
00:29:27,032 --> 00:29:31,802
♪
579
00:29:31,804 --> 00:29:33,737
FROM PLANET TRAPPIST-1h,
580
00:29:33,739 --> 00:29:37,107
THE OTHER SIX WORLDS
WOULD HANG CLEARLY IN THE SKY,
581
00:29:37,109 --> 00:29:42,412
A STUNNING DISPLAY OF
JUST HOW COMPACT THE SYSTEM IS.
582
00:29:42,414 --> 00:29:47,017
BUT IF PLANETS GET TOO NEAR
EACH OTHER, IT CAN SPELL DOOM.
583
00:29:47,019 --> 00:29:48,652
Russo: THE PLANETS ARE ALL
VERY CLOSE TOGETHER,
584
00:29:48,654 --> 00:29:50,921
AND SO, THEY EACH FEEL
EACH OTHER'S GRAVITY
585
00:29:50,923 --> 00:29:53,257
AND THEY GIVE EACH OTHER
LITTLE TUGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
586
00:29:53,259 --> 00:29:56,593
AND THAT CAN BE
A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
587
00:29:56,595 --> 00:29:58,762
Narrator: WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT
THE COMPACT SYSTEM,
588
00:29:58,764 --> 00:30:03,433
ASTROPHYSICIST MATT RUSSO WAS
FASCINATED BY THESE INTERACTIONS
589
00:30:03,435 --> 00:30:05,569
AND THE FATE OF THE PLANETS.
590
00:30:05,571 --> 00:30:07,237
WHEN THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS
WERE FIRST DISCOVERED,
591
00:30:07,239 --> 00:30:09,373
ASTRONOMERS TRIED TO SIMULATE
THEIR ORBITS,
592
00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:11,375
AND THEY FOUND THAT AFTER
A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME,
593
00:30:11,377 --> 00:30:12,843
THE SYSTEM WENT UNSTABLE --
594
00:30:12,845 --> 00:30:15,312
PLANETS STARTED CRASHING INTO
EACH OTHER OR GETTING EJECTED.
595
00:30:15,314 --> 00:30:17,915
IT WAS JUST A COMPLETE MESS
VERY, VERY FAST.
596
00:30:17,917 --> 00:30:19,583
SO, THAT MEANS THAT EITHER
WE'RE CATCHING THE SYSTEM
597
00:30:19,585 --> 00:30:21,652
JUST BEFORE
EVERYTHING GOES HAYWIRE
598
00:30:21,654 --> 00:30:26,356
OR THERE IS SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS
KEEPING THIS SYSTEM STABLE.
599
00:30:26,358 --> 00:30:28,025
Narrator:
THE SEVEN WORLDS APPEAR
600
00:30:28,027 --> 00:30:29,927
ON THE VERGE OF CATASTROPHE,
601
00:30:29,929 --> 00:30:32,496
BUT APPEARANCES
CAN BE DECEPTIVE.
602
00:30:32,498 --> 00:30:34,631
AS WELL AS BEING A SCIENTIST,
603
00:30:34,633 --> 00:30:36,800
MATT IS
AN ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN,
604
00:30:36,802 --> 00:30:38,435
AND THIS TRAPPIST MYSTERY
605
00:30:38,437 --> 00:30:41,371
GOT HIM THINKING
ABOUT AN UNUSUAL CONNECTION.
606
00:30:41,373 --> 00:30:44,741
♪
607
00:30:44,743 --> 00:30:47,878
WITH THE HELP OF AN ORCHESTRA,
HE SET OUT TO TRANSLATE
608
00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:51,982
THE MOVEMENTS OF THE PLANETS
INTO ACTUAL MUSIC.
609
00:30:51,984 --> 00:30:53,717
Russo: IF YOU SPEED UP
THE MOTION OF THESE PLANETS
610
00:30:53,719 --> 00:30:55,052
BY MILLIONS OF TIMES,
611
00:30:55,054 --> 00:30:59,690
THEIR MOTION WOULD ACTUALLY
PRODUCE MUSICAL NOTES.
612
00:30:59,692 --> 00:31:02,693
Narrator: IF THE ORCHESTRA
REPRESENTS THE TRAPPIST SYSTEM,
613
00:31:02,695 --> 00:31:06,897
THEN TUNING UP IS A BIT LIKE
HOW THE PLANETS FORMED,
614
00:31:06,899 --> 00:31:11,435
AND THAT COULD BE THE KEY
TO THE SYSTEM'S SURVIVAL.
615
00:31:11,437 --> 00:31:13,203
SO, WHEN PLANETS FORM,
616
00:31:13,205 --> 00:31:16,473
THE PLANETS ARE ORBITING INSIDE
A DISC OF GAS AND DUST,
617
00:31:16,475 --> 00:31:18,208
AND WHILE THEY'RE INSIDE
THAT DISC,
618
00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:23,146
THEY CAN SLIDE AROUND AND TUNE
THEMSELVES TO THEIR NEIGHBORS.
619
00:31:23,148 --> 00:31:25,782
AND AS THESE PLANETS
SLIDE AROUND, SOMETIMES,
620
00:31:25,784 --> 00:31:29,019
THEY CAN GET LOCKED INTO
A VERY STABLE CONFIGURATION.
621
00:31:29,021 --> 00:31:37,861
♪
622
00:31:37,863 --> 00:31:40,297
Narrator: THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS
OF THE ORCHESTRA ARE NOW
623
00:31:40,299 --> 00:31:42,866
IN HARMONY WITH EACH OTHER,
PLAYING THE MUSIC
624
00:31:42,868 --> 00:31:46,236
OF THE PERFECTLY SYNCHRONIZED
TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM.
625
00:31:46,238 --> 00:31:49,039
♪
626
00:31:49,041 --> 00:31:51,608
THE UNPRECEDENTED SYMMETRY
THAT ALLOWS MATT
627
00:31:51,610 --> 00:31:54,878
TO TURN
THE TRAPPIST-1 ORBITS INTO MUSIC
628
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:57,214
ALSO CAUSES
ALL THE PLANETARY TUGS
629
00:31:57,216 --> 00:32:01,351
TO CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT,
KEEPING THE PLANETS IN BALANCE.
630
00:32:01,353 --> 00:32:04,021
♪
631
00:32:04,023 --> 00:32:05,889
WE NOW KNOW THAT
THE TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM
632
00:32:05,891 --> 00:32:07,524
IS ABOUT 7 BILLION YEARS OLD --
633
00:32:07,526 --> 00:32:10,027
THAT'S MUCH OLDER
THAN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.
634
00:32:10,029 --> 00:32:12,129
AND SO, IF THESE PLANETS
WEREN'T FINELY TUNED
635
00:32:12,131 --> 00:32:13,563
IN THIS MUSICAL CONFIGURATION,
636
00:32:13,565 --> 00:32:16,466
THERE'S NO WAY THEY COULD HAVE
LASTED THAT LONG.
637
00:32:16,468 --> 00:32:19,436
Narrator: IF IT TURNS OUT THAT
ANY OF THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS
638
00:32:19,438 --> 00:32:23,340
DO HAVE THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
FOR LIFE, 7 BILLION YEARS
639
00:32:23,342 --> 00:32:27,210
IS CERTAINLY LONG ENOUGH
FOR EVOLUTION TO GET GOING --
640
00:32:27,212 --> 00:32:29,313
AN EXHILARATING POSSIBILITY.
641
00:32:29,315 --> 00:32:31,782
♪
642
00:32:31,784 --> 00:32:35,285
BUT NOT EVERYONE IS OPTIMISTIC.
643
00:32:35,287 --> 00:32:39,089
LIKE OUR SUN, THE TRAPPIST STAR
PRODUCES EXPLOSIVE,
644
00:32:39,091 --> 00:32:42,826
DESTRUCTIVE OUTBURSTS
CALLED "STELLAR FLARES."
645
00:32:42,828 --> 00:32:48,098
♪
646
00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:50,334
THE BIGGEST SOLAR FLARES
OF OUR SUN
647
00:32:50,336 --> 00:32:53,937
CAN RELEASE THE ENERGY
OF A BILLION HYDROGEN BOMBS.
648
00:32:53,939 --> 00:32:56,707
YET, THE SUN'S ACTIVITY
IS RELATIVELY TAME
649
00:32:56,709 --> 00:33:00,344
COMPARED TO THAT OF OTHER STARS,
INCLUDING RED DWARFS,
650
00:33:00,346 --> 00:33:05,315
LIKE TRAPPIST-1,
THAT ARE MUCH SMALLER IN SIZE.
651
00:33:05,317 --> 00:33:09,619
THESE STARS ARE FAINTER
THAN THE SUN BY 10,000 TIMES,
652
00:33:09,621 --> 00:33:13,724
BUT THE FREQUENCY OF FLARES
ON RED DWARFS IS MUCH HIGHER,
653
00:33:13,726 --> 00:33:16,793
AND THE FLARES
ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL
654
00:33:16,795 --> 00:33:18,662
THAN THEY ARE FOR THE SUN.
655
00:33:18,664 --> 00:33:20,564
♪
656
00:33:20,566 --> 00:33:22,799
Narrator: WHENEVER
THE TRAPPIST STAR FLARES,
657
00:33:22,801 --> 00:33:26,136
THE NEARBY PLANETS ARE BATHED
IN INTENSE ULTRAVIOLET,
658
00:33:26,138 --> 00:33:29,873
OR UV, LIGHT,
AND THIS KIND OF RADIATION
659
00:33:29,875 --> 00:33:32,542
CAN HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT
ON LIFE.
660
00:33:32,544 --> 00:33:35,045
♪
661
00:33:35,047 --> 00:33:36,880
WITH THE TRAPPIST PLANETS
SO CLOSE
662
00:33:36,882 --> 00:33:38,949
TO SUCH A VOLATILE STAR,
663
00:33:38,951 --> 00:33:44,554
AVI LOEB DOUBTS WHETHER
LIVING ORGANISMS COULD SURVIVE.
664
00:33:44,556 --> 00:33:48,625
Loeb: I BELIEVE THAT THE PLANETS
AROUND TRAPPIST-1
665
00:33:48,627 --> 00:33:53,330
DO NOT HAVE LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
ON THEM DUE TO THE MANY RISKS
666
00:33:53,332 --> 00:33:56,566
THAT THIS ENVIRONMENT POSES
FOR LIFE.
667
00:33:56,568 --> 00:33:58,402
Narrator:
YET, OTHER SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
668
00:33:58,404 --> 00:34:00,470
THERE MAY BE REASON FOR HOPE.
669
00:34:00,472 --> 00:34:08,311
♪
670
00:34:08,313 --> 00:34:10,981
ASTROBIOLOGIST
JACK O'MALLEY-JAMES
671
00:34:10,983 --> 00:34:13,483
WANTS TO KNOW
IF THERE'S A WAY FOR LIFE
672
00:34:13,485 --> 00:34:17,387
TO SURVIVE
THESE STELLAR SUPERFLARES.
673
00:34:17,389 --> 00:34:20,690
TO FIND OUT, HE'S BEEN
INVESTIGATING HOW LIFE ON EARTH
674
00:34:20,692 --> 00:34:23,527
COPES WITH UV.
675
00:34:23,529 --> 00:34:25,295
HE'S COME TO THE LONDON AQUARIUM
676
00:34:25,297 --> 00:34:30,300
TO SEE HOW SEA CREATURES
RESPOND TO THE RADIATION.
677
00:34:30,302 --> 00:34:32,369
SO, MOST OF THE SUN'S UV
IS FILTERED OUT
678
00:34:32,371 --> 00:34:34,504
BY THE OZONE LAYER
IN THE ATMOSPHERE,
679
00:34:34,506 --> 00:34:37,607
AND THE REST THAT MAKES IT DOWN
TO THE SURFACE IS LOW ENOUGH
680
00:34:37,609 --> 00:34:40,544
THAT ANIMALS CAN COPE WITH IT
BY MOVING AWAY INTO THE SHADE,
681
00:34:40,546 --> 00:34:43,280
LIKE THIS SEA TURTLE HERE,
WHICH IS HIDING UNDER A ROCK --
682
00:34:43,282 --> 00:34:45,482
ANYTHING THAT PUTS
A SMALL BARRIER BETWEEN YOU
683
00:34:45,484 --> 00:34:48,118
AND THAT RADIATION IS ENOUGH.
684
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,754
Narrator: BUT NOT ALL CREATURES
CAN ESCAPE INTO THE SHADE
685
00:34:50,756 --> 00:34:54,357
DURING THE HEAT OF A MIDDAY SUN.
686
00:34:54,359 --> 00:34:56,293
CORAL POLYPS ARE SMALL ANIMALS
687
00:34:56,295 --> 00:34:59,162
THAT CREATE HARD SKELETONS
AROUND THEIR BODIES,
688
00:34:59,164 --> 00:35:03,567
WHICH, TOGETHER, ANCHOR
CORAL REEFS TO THE SEAFLOOR.
689
00:35:03,569 --> 00:35:06,503
CORALS, LIKE IN THIS REEF HERE,
ARE STUCK IN PLACE.
690
00:35:06,505 --> 00:35:09,706
SO, WHEN THEY'RE EXPOSED
TO HIGH LEVELS OF UV RADIATION,
691
00:35:09,708 --> 00:35:11,575
SUCH AS WHEN THE TIDE GOES OUT,
692
00:35:11,577 --> 00:35:13,877
THEY CAN'T MOVE AWAY FROM IT,
THEY CAN'T HIDE,
693
00:35:13,879 --> 00:35:15,378
AND SO THEY NEED
TO DO SOMETHING ELSE
694
00:35:15,380 --> 00:35:17,547
TO DEAL WITH THAT RADIATION.
695
00:35:17,549 --> 00:35:20,183
Narrator: SOMEHOW,
CORALS MANAGE TO SURVIVE,
696
00:35:20,185 --> 00:35:22,919
EVEN THRIVE,
IN SHALLOW TROPICAL WATERS,
697
00:35:22,921 --> 00:35:26,056
WHERE ULTRAVIOLET
IS AT ITS STRONGEST.
698
00:35:26,058 --> 00:35:28,458
BEHIND THE SCENES
AT THE LONDON AQUARIUM,
699
00:35:28,460 --> 00:35:31,228
SOME NEWLY GROWN CORAL
MAY PROVIDE A CLUE
700
00:35:31,230 --> 00:35:32,796
AS TO HOW THEY DO IT.
701
00:35:32,798 --> 00:35:35,432
ONE THEORY SUGGESTS
THE MARINE CREATURES
702
00:35:35,434 --> 00:35:37,467
MAY HAVE EVOLVED A MECHANISM
703
00:35:37,469 --> 00:35:41,404
TO COPE WITH
THE HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION.
704
00:35:41,406 --> 00:35:42,672
O' Malley-James: THEY HAVE
THESE FLUORESCENT PIGMENTS
705
00:35:42,674 --> 00:35:44,107
INSIDE THEM.
706
00:35:44,109 --> 00:35:47,010
SO, AS THE UV FROM THE LAMP
HITS THE FLUORESCENT PROTEINS
707
00:35:47,012 --> 00:35:48,378
ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CORAL,
708
00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:50,714
THEY'RE ACTING LIKE
A SORT OF SHIELD,
709
00:35:50,716 --> 00:35:54,084
AND THEY'RE ABSORBING
THE HIGH-ENERGY UV LIGHT
710
00:35:54,086 --> 00:35:57,154
AND ALMOST INSTANTLY CONVERTING
THAT INTO A LOWER-ENERGY,
711
00:35:57,156 --> 00:35:58,855
HARMLESS FORM OF LIGHT.
712
00:35:58,857 --> 00:36:02,926
SO IT IS LIKE A GLOWING FORM
OF SUNSCREEN.
713
00:36:02,928 --> 00:36:05,629
Narrator: BY CONVERTING
THE UV LIGHT INTO VISIBLE LIGHT,
714
00:36:05,631 --> 00:36:09,266
THE CORAL POLYPS ARE
PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM HARM.
715
00:36:09,268 --> 00:36:12,202
AND JACK BELIEVES THIS PROCESS
COULD BE HAPPENING
716
00:36:12,204 --> 00:36:14,871
ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE.
717
00:36:14,873 --> 00:36:17,541
O'Malley-James: SO, IT COULD,
IN THEORY, BE HAPPENING ANYWHERE
718
00:36:17,543 --> 00:36:19,943
WHERE THERE'S HIGH LEVELS
OF UV RADIATION,
719
00:36:19,945 --> 00:36:22,445
SUCH AS THE PLANETS
IN THE TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM
720
00:36:22,447 --> 00:36:25,148
OR PLANETS AROUND SIMILAR STARS
WE'RE STARTING TO FIND NOW.
721
00:36:25,150 --> 00:36:28,151
THIS MECHANISM COULD ACTUALLY
MAKE THOSE WORLDS
722
00:36:28,153 --> 00:36:32,489
A LOT MORE HABITABLE FOR LIFE,
RATHER THAN LESS HABITABLE.
723
00:36:32,491 --> 00:36:34,558
Narrator: MANY SCIENTISTS THINK
IT'S POSSIBLE
724
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,061
THAT LIFE DOES EXIST
ON THE TRAPPIST PLANETS --
725
00:36:38,063 --> 00:36:42,566
IN PARTICULAR, THE PLANET RIGHT
IN THE MIDDLE, TRAPPIST-1e.
726
00:36:42,568 --> 00:36:45,936
AND IF BIOFLUORESCENT ORGANISMS
ARE THRIVING THERE,
727
00:36:45,938 --> 00:36:49,773
IT COULD HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY
EFFECT ON THE EARTH-LIKE WORLD.
728
00:36:49,775 --> 00:36:51,908
♪
729
00:36:51,910 --> 00:36:55,145
O'Malley-James: AS A FLARE HIT,
YOU'D SEE THIS PLANET LIGHT UP
730
00:36:55,147 --> 00:36:57,180
WITH A GLOW OF WHATEVER COLOR
IT WAS FLUORESCING,
731
00:36:57,182 --> 00:37:00,817
SO YOU COULD IMAGINE THIS PLANET
THAT HAS A VAGUE OUTLINE
732
00:37:00,819 --> 00:37:05,155
THAT SUDDENLY BECOMES
BRIGHT GREEN IN THE SKY.
733
00:37:05,157 --> 00:37:06,823
Narrator:
A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT.
734
00:37:06,825 --> 00:37:09,226
BUT IF JACK O'MALLEY-JAMES
IS RIGHT,
735
00:37:09,228 --> 00:37:13,563
THE GLOWING PLANET COULD HAVE A
SIGNIFICANCE BEYOND ITS BEAUTY.
736
00:37:13,565 --> 00:37:15,999
LIKE A GREAT
ASTRONOMICAL BEACON,
737
00:37:16,001 --> 00:37:21,004
IT COULD ONE DAY BETRAY
THE PRESENCE OF ALIEN LIFE.
738
00:37:21,006 --> 00:37:26,476
♪
739
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:39,522
♪
740
00:37:39,524 --> 00:37:42,225
Narrator:
TODAY, DETECTING SIGNS OF LIFE
741
00:37:42,227 --> 00:37:43,994
ON AN EARTH-SIZED EXOPLANET
742
00:37:43,996 --> 00:37:48,131
IS NOT YET POSSIBLE, EVEN WITH
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST TELESCOPES.
743
00:37:48,133 --> 00:37:50,533
BUT IN THE ATACAMA DESERT
IN CHILE,
744
00:37:50,535 --> 00:37:53,603
THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE.
745
00:37:53,605 --> 00:37:56,840
DR. JULIEN MILLI IS PREPARING
FOR A PROJECT
746
00:37:56,842 --> 00:37:59,008
THAT WILL TRANSFORM
THE SEARCH FOR LIFE
747
00:37:59,010 --> 00:38:01,111
ELSEWHERE IN THE GALAXY.
748
00:38:01,113 --> 00:38:02,779
♪
749
00:38:02,781 --> 00:38:04,614
Milli:
WE ARE LOOKING FOR LIFE,
750
00:38:04,616 --> 00:38:07,851
OR TO FIND HINTS THAT
THERE IS LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS.
751
00:38:07,853 --> 00:38:11,454
AND IT'S MUCH MORE LIKELY
TO FIND LIFE ON ROCKY PLANETS
752
00:38:11,456 --> 00:38:12,922
THAN ON GAS GIANTS,
753
00:38:12,924 --> 00:38:16,426
SO THIS IS WHY WE WANT TO GO
FOR THOSE FAINT ROCKY PLANETS
754
00:38:16,428 --> 00:38:17,927
THAT ARE MUCH DIFFICULT
TO CATCH,
755
00:38:17,929 --> 00:38:22,098
BUT ALSO MUCH MORE REWARDING,
POTENTIALLY.
756
00:38:22,100 --> 00:38:24,000
Narrator:
TO FIND THOSE ROCKY PLANETS,
757
00:38:24,002 --> 00:38:26,936
ASTRONOMERS NEED
BIGGER TELESCOPES.
758
00:38:26,938 --> 00:38:29,806
JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM
THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE,
759
00:38:29,808 --> 00:38:33,777
CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN ON
THE EXTREMELY LARGE TELESCOPE,
760
00:38:33,779 --> 00:38:37,380
OR ELT.
761
00:38:37,382 --> 00:38:39,783
Milli: SO, THE NEW TELESCOPE
WILL BE FIVE TIMES BIGGER,
762
00:38:39,785 --> 00:38:40,950
SO IT MEANS IT WILL BE
763
00:38:40,952 --> 00:38:43,453
THE BIGGEST OPTICAL TELESCOPE
ON EARTH.
764
00:38:43,455 --> 00:38:45,322
AND WITH THAT, WE'LL BE ABLE
TO SEARCH FOR PLANETS
765
00:38:45,324 --> 00:38:46,990
THAT ARE MUCH FAINTER,
766
00:38:46,992 --> 00:38:51,061
AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO GO
FROM THE REGIME OF GIANT PLANET
767
00:38:51,063 --> 00:38:55,432
TO SMALLER PLANETS
AND MAYBE ROCKY PLANETS.
768
00:38:55,434 --> 00:38:58,101
Narrator:
ONCE COMPLETE, THE ELT WILL BE
769
00:38:58,103 --> 00:39:01,638
THE BIGGEST OPTICAL TELESCOPE
IN THE WORLD.
770
00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:06,343
ITS 128-FOOT MIRROR WILL COLLECT
100 MILLION TIMES
771
00:39:06,345 --> 00:39:10,647
MORE LIGHT THAN THE HUMAN EYE,
ALLOWING IT TO DETECT
772
00:39:10,649 --> 00:39:14,217
CRUCIAL DETAILS
ABOUT EARTH-SIZED PLANETS.
773
00:39:14,219 --> 00:39:16,920
WE COULD FIND
SOME SIGNATURE OF LIFE.
774
00:39:16,922 --> 00:39:19,189
SO, TO DO THAT,
WE WOULD NEED TO ANALYZE
775
00:39:19,191 --> 00:39:21,024
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THOSE PLANETS.
776
00:39:21,026 --> 00:39:24,194
WE'RE LOOKING FOR A COMBINATION
THAT COULD ONLY BE PRODUCED
777
00:39:24,196 --> 00:39:28,465
IF THERE IS
A BIOLOGICAL PROCESS.
778
00:39:28,467 --> 00:39:31,034
Narrator: AS WELL AS NEW
GROUND-BASED TELESCOPES,
779
00:39:31,036 --> 00:39:33,103
THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE
780
00:39:33,105 --> 00:39:36,306
SHOULD REVEAL
UNPRECEDENTED NEW DETAILS
781
00:39:36,308 --> 00:39:38,808
ABOUT ALIEN PLANETS
AFTER ITS LAUNCH,
782
00:39:38,810 --> 00:39:41,444
PLANNED FOR 2021.
783
00:39:41,446 --> 00:39:43,680
THESE MASSIVE NEW TELESCOPES
784
00:39:43,682 --> 00:39:46,015
WILL GIVE ASTRONOMERS
THE BEST CHANCE
785
00:39:46,017 --> 00:39:48,685
OF FINDING EVIDENCE
OF ALIEN LIFE.
786
00:39:48,687 --> 00:39:51,054
Milli: I WOULD FEEL
EXTREMELY REWARDED, OF COURSE,
787
00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:52,822
TO DETECT SIGNS OF LIFE,
788
00:39:52,824 --> 00:39:55,058
WHICH WOULD BE
AN AMAZING DISCOVERY,
789
00:39:55,060 --> 00:39:57,827
AND IT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF
THE GOALS OF THIS BIG TELESCOPE
790
00:39:57,829 --> 00:40:00,296
IS TO LOOK FOR LIFE.
791
00:40:00,298 --> 00:40:02,665
Narrator: ANSWERING THE QUESTION
OF WHETHER WE'RE ALONE
792
00:40:02,667 --> 00:40:06,603
IN THE UNIVERSE
COULD BE A FEW SHORT YEARS AWAY.
793
00:40:06,605 --> 00:40:09,339
IN THE MEANTIME,
ASTRONOMERS ARE LINING UP
794
00:40:09,341 --> 00:40:11,741
AS MANY EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
AS POSSIBLE
795
00:40:11,743 --> 00:40:14,344
SO THEY CAN BE SCANNED
FOR SIGNS OF LIFE
796
00:40:14,346 --> 00:40:16,679
AS SOON AS THE NEW TELESCOPES
ARE READY.
797
00:40:16,681 --> 00:40:24,854
♪
798
00:40:24,856 --> 00:40:27,123
50 MILES ACROSS
THE CHILEAN DESERT,
799
00:40:27,125 --> 00:40:31,094
MICHAEL GILLON IS ALSO BUILDING
A NEW OBSERVATORY --
800
00:40:31,096 --> 00:40:35,999
THIS TIME, WITH FOUR TELESCOPES,
WHICH HE HAS NAMED "SPECULOOS."
801
00:40:36,001 --> 00:40:38,368
♪
802
00:40:38,370 --> 00:40:41,171
TRAPPIST-1 HAS PROVED
BEYOND ANY DOUBT
803
00:40:41,173 --> 00:40:44,941
THAT RED DWARFS REALLY ARE
GOOD TARGETS FOR PLANET HUNTING,
804
00:40:44,943 --> 00:40:48,611
SO MICHAEL PLANS TO STAKE OUT
A LOT MORE OF THEM.
805
00:40:48,613 --> 00:40:53,516
SO, 1,000 OF THEM THAT ARE
NEARBY ENOUGH TO MAKE POSSIBLE
806
00:40:53,518 --> 00:40:55,385
IF WE DETECT
AN EARTH-SIZE PLANET
807
00:40:55,387 --> 00:40:59,823
TO SEARCH FOR TRACES OF LIFE IN
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THESE PLANETS.
808
00:40:59,825 --> 00:41:02,892
Narrator: IF THE TELLTALE
SIGNS OF LIFE ARE ONE DAY FOUND
809
00:41:02,894 --> 00:41:05,995
IN A SYSTEM LIKE TRAPPIST-1,
IT WOULD CONFIRM
810
00:41:05,997 --> 00:41:09,432
THAT ORGANISMS CAN AND DO THRIVE
AROUND RED DWARF STARS,
811
00:41:09,434 --> 00:41:10,934
AND THAT MATTERS
812
00:41:10,936 --> 00:41:14,437
BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE OF THEM
OUT THERE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.
813
00:41:14,439 --> 00:41:19,609
♪
814
00:41:19,611 --> 00:41:24,347
NOT A SINGLE RED DWARF STAR
IS VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE,
815
00:41:24,349 --> 00:41:28,618
BUT IF YOU COULD SEE RED DWARFS
AS CLEARLY AS OTHER STARS,
816
00:41:28,620 --> 00:41:31,120
THE SKY WOULD LOOK
VERY DIFFERENT --
817
00:41:31,122 --> 00:41:33,723
IN FACT,
THERE ARE MORE RED DWARFS
818
00:41:33,725 --> 00:41:36,059
THAN ANY OTHER KIND OF STAR,
819
00:41:36,061 --> 00:41:40,196
WITH AROUND 200 BILLION OF THEM
IN OUR GALAXY ALONE.
820
00:41:40,198 --> 00:41:42,098
AND RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST
821
00:41:42,100 --> 00:41:45,235
THEY'RE USUALLY ACCOMPANIED
BY SMALL PLANETS.
822
00:41:45,237 --> 00:41:48,071
Gillon: IT SEEMS THAT THESE
KIND OF PLANETS ARE VERY COMMON
823
00:41:48,073 --> 00:41:49,572
AROUND THESE SMALL STARS,
824
00:41:49,574 --> 00:41:52,976
AND WITH THE SUM OF ALL
THE RED DWARFS IN OUR GALAXY,
825
00:41:52,978 --> 00:41:55,245
YOU COULD END WITH --
I DON'T KNOW --
826
00:41:55,247 --> 00:41:58,915
THOUSANDS OF BILLIONS
OF PLANETS OVER THERE.
827
00:41:58,917 --> 00:42:00,917
♪
828
00:42:00,919 --> 00:42:04,320
Narrator: ONE DAY,
THE SEVEN WORLDS OF TRAPPIST-1
829
00:42:04,322 --> 00:42:06,723
MAY NOT SEEM SO UNIQUE
AFTER ALL,
830
00:42:06,725 --> 00:42:10,026
WITH A GALAXY BRIMMING
WITH EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
831
00:42:10,028 --> 00:42:13,596
ORBITING RED DWARF STARS.
832
00:42:13,598 --> 00:42:18,735
AND IF SOMEONE DOES FIND TRACES
OF LIFE ON ONE OF THESE WORLDS,
833
00:42:18,737 --> 00:42:21,104
IT WOULD HAVE
PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS
834
00:42:21,106 --> 00:42:23,640
ABOUT THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE.
835
00:42:23,642 --> 00:42:26,976
Gillon: IF YOU WOULD DETECT LIFE
ON A NEARBY RED DWARF,
836
00:42:26,978 --> 00:42:30,146
IT PROBABLY MEANS THAT LIFE
IS EVERYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE,
837
00:42:30,148 --> 00:42:34,150
THAT LIFE IS
A COSMIC PHENOMENON.
838
00:42:34,152 --> 00:42:37,320
Narrator: WITHIN A DECADE,
WE MAY DISCOVER
839
00:42:37,322 --> 00:42:42,659
THAT FAR FROM BEING ALONE,
WE ARE SURROUNDED BY LIFE,
840
00:42:42,661 --> 00:42:45,962
THAT THE UNIVERSE
IS TEEMING WITH IT.
841
00:42:45,964 --> 00:42:47,263
♪