(Vatican Radio) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United
States - NASA - made an announcement this week about a major astronomical
discovery: seven planets orbiting a star, three of which are in the so-called
"habitable zone" of the solar system some 40 light-years from Earth.

Scientists have named the star TRAPPIST 1 - an acronym for the Transiting
Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope, which is located in Chile and was
the instrument chiefly used in the original discovery of the system, the
planets of which are identified simply as TRAPPIST b-h.

No other known system contains so many Earth-sized and probably rocky planets.

Scientists say they need to study the planets' atmospheres before determining
whether they are capable of supporting life.

To learn more about the discovery, we spoke with Fr. Brian Reedy SJ, a
biophysicist who has designed experiments on life forms conducted aboard the
International Space Station.
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