TRAPPIST-1e

exoplanet · habitable zone · red dwarf

Rocky and Earth-sized. TRAPPIST-1e is built from rock just like Earth, and it's almost exactly the same size as our home planet. This makes it one of the most Earth-like worlds we've discovered so far.

In the habitable zone. This planet orbits at just the right distance from its star to potentially have liquid water on its surface. Liquid water is the key ingredient for life as we know it.

Orbits a red dwarf. TRAPPIST-1e circles around an ultra-cool red dwarf star, which is much smaller and dimmer than our Sun. Red dwarfs burn their fuel slowly, so they can shine for trillions of years.

Found by dimming. Astronomers discovered TRAPPIST-1e using the transit method, which watches for the tiny dip in starlight when a planet crosses in front of its star. It's like watching a shadow pass across a light bulb.

Far but not too far. TRAPPIST-1e sits 40.7 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, making it one of the closest potentially habitable exoplanets we've found.