![NASA Earth-Like Planets](http://media.techeblog.com/images/trappist-1.jpg)
NASA scientists working with telescopes at the European Southern Observatory announced today that an entire system of Earth-like planets exists just 40-light-years away. Of these seven, three lie in the star’s habitable “Goldilocks” zone, meaning that all may have entire oceans of liquid water, increasing the possibility of life. “The energy output from dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1 is much weaker than that of our Sun. Planets would need to be in far closer orbits than we see in the Solar System if there is to be surface water. Fortunately, it seems that this kind of compact configuration is just what we see around TRAPPIST-1,” said researcher Amaury Triaud. Continue reading for two more videos, including one explaining how long it would take for humans to get there.
“The system is just 40 light-years away. On a cosmic scale, that’s right next door. Of course, practically speaking, it would still take us hundreds of millions of years to get there with today’s technology – but again, it is notable in that the find speaks volumes about the potential for life-as-we-know-it beyond Earth,” reports Futurism.