Nasa says TRAPPIST-1 solar system could be teeming with ‘exotic’ alien lifeforms
Stargazers suggest radiation-proof extraterrestrials are 'thriving under skies of ruddy twilight' on distant worlds
TOP Nasa stargazers have claimed a newly discovered solar system could be teeming with alien life.
The space agency stunned the world this week when it said seven planets had been spotted orbiting a star called TRAPPIST-1.
Read more: Is THIS the reason why aliens haven't contacted humans?
Now its top scientists are trying to work out whether these worlds are abundant with extraterrestrial beings - or as dead as a terrestrial doorknob.
Nasa boffins suggested the planets "could harbour exotic lifeforms, thriving under skies of ruddy twilight".
However, they could also be be barren wastelands because their parent star is a red dwarf, a relatively cool type of sun that could wipe out early lifeforms before they have a chance to evolve into sentient beings.
"A bumper crop of Earth-size planets huddled around an ultra-cool, red dwarf star could be little more than chunks of rock blasted by radiation, or cloud-covered worlds as broiling hot as Venus," Nasa warned.
"Recent findings suggest life would have an uphill battle on a planet close to a red dwarf, largely because such stars are extremely active in their early years - shooting off potentially lethal flares and bursts of radiation," Nasa wrote.
Yet this might not entirely rule out the possibility that life exists on one of the planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1.
Tom Barclay, a senior research scientist at the NASA Ames Research Centre, suggested life can often bounce back from disasters.
Organism living on the radiation-riddled worlds could also have evolved to cope with conditions which will kill earthbound lifeforms.
Related Stories
“You have regular events, but life is used to this,” he said. “It just deals with it.
"We certainly see life on Earth capable of hibernating for very extended periods of time. We see that life goes into a state where it shuts down, sometimes for years or decades.
"So I think we shouldn’t, probably, rule it out, but we should put a lot of effort into studying whether this is a place where we think life could thrive."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368