Transit Illustration of TRAPPIST-1

Spitzer_ssc2017-01d_1024

spitzer_ssc2017-01d February 22nd, 2017

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)

This illustration shows the seven TRAPPIST-1 planets as they might look as viewed from Earth using a fictional, incredibly powerful telescope. The sizes and relative positions are correctly to scale: This is such a tiny planetary system that its sun, TRAPPIST-1, is not much bigger than our planet Jupiter, and all the planets are very close to the size of Earth. Their orbits all fallwell within what, in our solar system, would be the orbital distance of our innermost planet, Mercury. With such small orbits, the TRAPPIST-1 planets complete a year in a matter of a few Earth days: 1.5 for the innermost planet, TRAPPIST-1b, and 20 for the outermost, TRAPPIST-1h.

This particular arrangement of planets with a double-transit reflect an actual configuration of the system during the 21 days of observations made by NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope in late 2016.

The system has been revealed through observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the ground-based TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) telescope, as well as other ground-based observatories. The system was named for the TRAPPIST telescope.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at Caltech/IPAC. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/6278-ssc2017-01d-Transit-Illustration-of-TRAPPIST-1

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

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Image Details

Image Type
Artwork
Object Name
TRAPPIST-1
Subject - Milky Way
Planet > Type > Terrestrial

Distance

Universescale1
40 light years
Spitzer_ssc2017-01d_1280
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ID
ssc2017-01d
Subject Category
B.1.1.1  
Subject Name
TRAPPIST-1
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
Release Date
2017-02-22
Lightyears
40
Redshift
40
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/6278-ssc2017-01d-Transit-Illustration-of-TRAPPIST-1
Type
Artwork
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
ssc2017-01d.tif
Metadata Date
2017-02-22
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
40 light years

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