TRAPPIST-1e
Position on the route: 38/45 · level needed 1500 · journey (Mk0 engine) 345.6 h
By the numbers
| Distance | 40 light-years |
|---|---|
| Star | ultracool red dwarf, Jupiter-sized |
| System | 7 rocky planets |
| Radius | 0.92 Earth |
| Year | 6.1 days |
| Density | rocky, Earth-like |
| Discovery | 2017 |
The story
A system of seven Earth-sized planets in a tight arrangement; three or four in the habitable zone. The planets are so close that from one, a neighbour looms larger than our Moon. All are in orbital resonance, ratios like 8:5:3:2, an almost musical order.
Planet e is the most Earth-like: rocky, dense, at the ‘right’ distance from its star. JWST found no thick atmosphere on the inner planets b and c in 2023; measurements of e and f continue. The star is 2,000 times fainter than the Sun, but the planets are so close that the daytime sky would be salmon-coloured.
The star is a red dwarf that will live for trillions of years: if life is to develop, there is time. In the game it is the second step of interstellar colonisation.
Missions
- The TRAPPIST telescope (Chile) and Spitzer: discovery
- JWST (2023–): atmosphere studies
Colony note
A seven-world system: one colony means six more targets within a day’s flight.
What probes bring back
- Seven planets in 8:5:3:2 resonance.
- A trace of thin atmosphere on planet e; water vapour uncertain.
- A salmon-coloured sky: the star is 2,500 K.