All language subtitles for Spaces.Deepest.Secrets.S06E02.Secrets.of.the.Seven.Earths.720p.WEBRip.x264-CAFFEiNE[eztv]

♪

Narrator: WE'RE LIVING IN
A NEW GOLDEN AGE OF EXPLORATION.

PLANET HUNTERS ARE SEARCHING

FAR BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
FOR EXOPLANETS.

Woman: WE'RE NOT ONLY FINDING
DIFFERENT CONTINENTS --

WE'RE ACTUALLY FINDING
NEW WORLDS ORBITING OTHER SUNS.

Narrator:
THOUSANDS OF THESE ALIEN WORLDS

HAVE ALREADY BEEN FOUND,

BUT THIS IS THE STORY OF PERHAPS
THE GREATEST DISCOVERY YET,

A STAR 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY WITH
SEVEN EARTH-SIZED PLANETS --

TRAPPIST-1.

WHEN WE SAW THIS, THAT WAS --

IT WAS A VERY HAPPY MORNING
WHEN WE MADE THIS PLOT.

REALLY LIKE WINNING THE LOTTERY,
SORT OF COSMIC LOTTERY.

Narrator:
NOW THESE MODERN-DAY EXPLORERS

ARE RACING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
THESE EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS.

THEY WANT TO KNOW

WHAT THE PLANET'S SURFACES
AND CLIMATES ARE LIKE

AND COULD ANY OF THEM WIN
THE ULTIMATE BATTLE --

TO HOST LIFE ITSELF?

O'Malley-James: YOU'D SEE THIS
PLANET LIGHT UP WITH A GLOW,

THEN THAT GIVES US
A STRONG INDICATION

THAT SOMETHING IS LIVING THERE
ON THAT PLANET.

Narrator:
FINDING LIFE ON AN ALIEN WORLD

IS THE ULTIMATE PRIZE
FOR PLANET HUNTERS,

AND IT MAY SOON BE WITHIN REACH.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE STORY BEGINS HIGH
IN THE ATACAMA DESERT IN CHILE.

WITH SOME OF THE CLEAREST SKIES
ON EARTH,

IT'S ARGUABLY THE BEST PLACE

TO SPOT ALIEN WORLDS
ORBITING DISTANT STARS.

AND SURE ENOUGH, THE APTLY NAMED
VERY LARGE TELESCOPE

IS HUNTING FOR EXOPLANETS.

IT'S ACTUALLY MADE UP
OF FOUR MASSIVE TELESCOPES,

EACH OF WHICH IS
ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVER BUILT.

TOGETHER, THEY FORM
THE MOST ADVANCED

VISIBLE LIGHT OBSERVATORY
IN THE WORLD.

Milli: SO, ALREADY,
WITH INDIVIDUAL TELESCOPES,

WE CAN SEE VERY SHARP DETAILS,

BUT WHEN WE COMBINE THE LIGHT
OF THE FOUR OF THEM,

WE CAN ACTUALLY DISTINGUISH
THE TWO LIGHTS OF A CAR,

OF THE HEADLIGHT OF A CAR,
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

SO THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

Narrator: THE TELESCOPES
ARE USED TO STUDY EVERYTHING

FROM NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS
TO FARAWAY GALAXIES.

DR. JULIEN MILLI IS ONE OF
THEIR TOP PLANET HUNTERS.

Milli:
WE HAVE HERE THE PRIMARY MIRROR,

SECONDARY MIRROR,
TERTIARY MIRROR,

AND THEN IT SENDS THE LIGHT
TO HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGERY,

SO THE GOAL IS TO MAKE IMAGES
OF PLANETS AROUND THE STAR.

Narrator:
WITH FOUR 26-FOOT-WIDE MIRRORS,

THIS IS ONE OF THE ONLY PLACES
IN THE WORLD

WHERE ASTRONOMERS
CAN ACTUALLY SEE EXOPLANETS.

BUT EVEN IN IDEAL CONDITIONS,

JULIEN AND HIS COLLEAGUE
FACE A HUGE CHALLENGE.

PLANET HUNTING CAN BE LIKE
FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK

BECAUSE THE IMAGE
IS FULL OF OTHER SPOTS

THAT CAN LOOK LIKE PLANETS,

SUCH AS BAD PIXELS
AND LIGHT SPECKLES.

♪

Milli:
ALL THESE ELONGATED FEATURES

HERE OR IN THE CENTER --

YOU HAVE SOME LITTLE DOTS
CLOSE TO THE STAR --

THESE ARE SPECKLES.

SO, THIS IS RESIDUAL STARLIGHT
THAT ARE CREATED

BECAUSE OF THE IMPERFECT OPTICS
WITHIN THE SYSTEM.

Narrator:
THEIR TASK IS TO RULE OUT

ALL THE DOTS THAT ARE BAD PIXELS
IN THE HOPE

THAT THEY WILL BE LEFT
WITH WHAT'S CALLED A COMPANION,

A REAL PLANET OR OTHER OBJECT
ORBITING THE STAR.

♪

TONIGHT, THEY'VE CAPTURED
A RARE DIRECT IMAGE

OF AN ALIEN WORLD
ORBITING A DISTANT STAR

ALMOST 100 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

BUT THIS SO-CALLED "COMPANION"
IS NOTHING LIKE EARTH.

IN FACT, IT'S NOT EVEN
STRICTLY A PLANET --

IT'S A BROWN DWARF, AN OBJECT
SLIGHTLY BIGGER THAN A PLANET.

THIS ONE IS ABOUT
50 JUPITER MASSES.

♪

Milli: WE THINK THAT
THE LIGHTEST SUBJECT

THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SEE
IS 1 TO 2 JUPITER MASS.

WE CAN'T GO BELOW THAT,
UNFORTUNATELY,

SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DETECT
AN EARTH, FOR INSTANCE.

Narrator: EVEN WITH THE MOST
ADVANCED OPTICAL TELESCOPE

EVER BUILT,

VIEWING
THESE REMOTE WORLDS DIRECTLY

IS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING.

AND SEEING EXOPLANETS THE SIZE
OF EARTH REMAINS IMPOSSIBLE.

LUCKILY, THERE'S A CLEVER WAY
TO FIND EXOPLANETS

WITHOUT EVER ACTUALLY
SEEING THEM.

♪

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
PLANET-HUNTING TECHNIQUE SO FAR

HAS BAGGED
THOUSANDS OF DISCOVERIES.

BUT AS NASA ASTRONOMER
NATASHA BATALHA KNOWS WELL,

YOU NEED PATIENCE.

Batalha: FINDING PLANETS IS
A LOT LIKE A STAKEOUT.

YOU'RE SITTING AROUND,
WAITING FOR A VERY LONG TIME

BEFORE SOMETHING
ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

Narrator:
IT CAN TAKE MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS

FOR A PLANET TO ORBIT ITS STAR.

DURING MOST OF THIS TIME,

THEY'RE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE
TO DETECT,

UNLESS THEY HAPPEN TO PASS
IN FRONT OF THEIR STAR.

♪

SO, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE A MOTH
FLYING IN FRONT

OF A CAR'S HEAD LAMP,
THE HEAD LAMP WOULD BE SO BRIGHT

THAT THE MOTH
MIGHT BE WASHED OUT,

BUT IF YOU LOOKED HARD ENOUGH,

YOU GET A VERY,
VERY SMALL DIP IN BRIGHTNESS,

AND SO WE CAN DETECT
THAT BRIGHTNESS,

AND SO THAT'S HOW
WE FIND PLANETS.

♪

Narrator: IT'S VERY HARD TO SEE
A DISTANT PLANET DIRECTLY,

BUT IF YOU SEE THE LIGHT
FROM ITS STAR DIM A LITTLE,

YOU KNOW A PLANET
MUST BE PASSING IN FRONT OF IT,

AN EVENT KNOWN AS A TRANSIT.

BUT THIS TRANSIT TECHNIQUE
DOESN'T WORK AS WELL

FOR SMALL PLANETS AS BIG ONES.

Batalha: NOW IMAGINE A SMALL FLY
IN FRONT OF A CAR'S HEAD LAMP.

THAT FLY WOULD BE SO SMALL

COMPARED TO THE BIG LIGHT
OF THE HEAD LAMP

THAT THE DIP IN BRIGHTNESS
THAT YOU SEE

IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DETECT.

Narrator: AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET
BLOCKS 100 TIMES

LESS LIGHT FROM ITS STAR
THAN A JUPITER-SIZED PLANET.

SO, ALTHOUGH HUNDREDS OF
GAS GIANTS HAVE BEEN FOUND

THIS WAY, SMALLER WORLDS
HAVE PROVED MORE ELUSIVE...

UNTIL ONE ASTRONOMER
HAD THE IDEA OF

LOOKING IN A DIFFERENT PLACE --
SMALL RED DWARF STARS.

AND THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

♪

RED DWARFS ARE MANY TIMES
SMALLER THAN STARS LIKE OUR SUN,

SO EARTH-SIZED PLANETS

WILL CAUSE A BIGGER DIP
IN THEIR LIGHT,

ALLOWING ASTRONOMERS
TO SPOT SMALL,

ROCKY WORLDS LIKE OUR OWN.

SO, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
A TRUE EARTH-LIKE PLANET,

IT'S ACTUALLY EASIER
AROUND SMALLER STARS.

♪

Narrator: THIS SIMPLE
BUT REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH MEANT

PLANET HUNTERS
DIDN'T NEED A GIANT TELESCOPE

TO SEARCH
FOR EARTH-SIZED ALIEN WORLDS.

AND JUST 500 MILES SOUTH
OF THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE

SITS A PIONEERING DEVICE
THAT'S OVER 10 TIMES SMALLER,

THE BRAINCHILD OF BELGIAN
PLANET HUNTER MICHAEL GILLON.

Gillon: MY GOAL WAS TO DETECT
NEW PLANETS,

WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS
ON SMALL PLANETS

THAT WOULD BE
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE,

SO THAT COULD HAVE ALL
LIQUID WATER ON THE SURFACE,

POSSIBLY, MAYBE LIFE --
WHO KNOWS?

Narrator:
TO SEARCH FOR THESE NEW WORLDS,

MICHAEL BEGAN STALKING OUT
RED DWARF STARS IN 2011,

USING HIS SMALL TELESCOPE,

WHICH HE NAMED "TRAPPIST,"
AFTER THE BEER,

WHICH IS FAMOUSLY BREWED BY HAND
IN BELGIUM.

BUT UNLIKE TRAPPIST BEER,

THIS ROBOTIC TELESCOPE
CAN BE OPERATED

FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION.

Gillon: THE TELESCOPE ITSELF
IS A REMOTE-CONTROLLED DEVICE,

SO WE JUST PRESS A BUTTON
AND LAUNCH A TELESCOPE,

AND IT STARTS OBSERVING.

AND DURING THE WHOLE NIGHT,
IT WILL OBSERVE

WITHOUT ANY HUMAN INTERVENTION.

Narrator: FOR FOUR YEARS,
THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE

STEADILY RECORDED THE BRIGHTNESS
OF INDIVIDUAL STARS,

ONE BY ONE,

WAITING FOR THE CHARACTERISTIC
DIP THAT REVEALS A PLANET,

AND IT WAS
REMARKABLY SUCCESSFUL.

SO, IN 2015, WE HAD AROUND
100 GIANT EXOPLANETS

THAT WE CONTRIBUTED
TO THE DISCOVERY.

AND SO IT WAS VERY ENCOURAGING,

BUT, OF COURSE, THE DREAM
WAS STILL EARTH-SIZED PLANETS.

Narrator: THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE
WAS WORKING PERFECTLY,

BUT 7,000 MILES AWAY,

MICHAEL WAS STILL HOPING
FOR AN HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH.

THEN, ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2015,

A DRAMATIC SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
ENDED IN A HUGE DISCOVERY.

♪

♪

Narrator:
ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2015,

TRAPPIST WAS SCHEDULED TO WATCH
A VERY FAINT RED DWARF STAR

JUST 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY,
BUT THAT NIGHT,

A POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE
STRUCK NORTHERN CHILE.

THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE

WAS IN ONE OF
THE WORST AFFECTED AREAS,

BUT IT WAS BUILT
TO WITHSTAND SEISMIC EVENTS.

Hibon: WHEN THERE IS
A CERTAIN LEVEL OF EARTHQUAKE,

THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS

IS THAT THE TELESCOPE
IS GOING TO STOP FUNCTIONING.

Gillon:
THE OBSERVATION STOPPED,

AND THE DOME WAS CLOSED
IN SAFE MODE.

AND THEN, IN THE MORNING,

MY STUDENT
NOTICED THE SITUATION,

AND SHE RELAUNCHED
THE OBSERVATION OF THE STAR.

Narrator:
THE TELESCOPE WASN'T DAMAGED,

BUT BY THE TIME
IT WAS WORKING AGAIN,

THE NIGHT WAS NEARLY OVER
AND THERE WERE ONLY THREE HOURS

LEFT TO OBSERVE
THE TARGET STAR BEFORE DAWN.

BACK IN EUROPE,
MICHAEL WAS ANALYZING THE DATA

WHEN SOMETHING CAUGHT HIS EYE.

Gillon: I WAS AT HOME ON MY SOFA
WITH MY LAPTOP,

AND I SAW A VERY CLEAR
TRANSITLIKE SIGNAL,

AND SO I WAS SUPER,
SUPER EXCITED, AND FURTHERMORE,

I KNEW THAT THE STAR WAS SMALL.

SO THE PLANET SHOULD HAVE BEEN

MORE OR LESS
THE SIZE OF THE EARTH.

Narrator: 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY,
AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET

HAD PASSED IN FRONT
OF ITS DWARF STAR,

AND THE EARTHQUAKE ALMOST CAUSED
MICHAEL AND HIS TEAM TO MISS IT.

♪

THE TRAPPIST TELESCOPE HAD MADE
ITS FIRST DISCOVERY

OF AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET --
A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT.

♪

THE SYSTEM WAS NAMED TRAPPIST-1
IN ITS HONOR,

BUT AS THEY CONTINUED TO WATCH,
IT SOON BECAME CLEAR

THAT THIS WAS NOT
THE REGULAR SIGNAL

YOU'D EXPECT
FROM A SINGLE PLANET.

Gillon:
ONE PLANET SHOULD LEAD

TO ONE FREQUENCY,
ONE PRIORITY --

IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING
LIKE DEET-DEET-DEET-DEET.

YOU LOOKED AT THE DATA,
AND IT'S DEE-DEET,

DEE-DEE-DEE-DEET, DEE-DEET,
DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE-DEET,

DEE-DEET -- SOMETHING LIKE THIS,
SO IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

Narrator: THAT COULD MEAN
ONLY ONE THING -- MORE PLANETS.

BUT TO FIND OUT HOW MANY,

MICHAEL NEEDED
MORE OBSERVATIONS.

OBSERVATORIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD,

INCLUDING
THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE,

SWUNG THEIR GAZE
TOWARD THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR,

AND THE RESULTS
WERE GROUNDBREAKING.

Gillon: AND WE OBSERVED PLENTY,
PLENTY OF NIGHTS WITH

PLENTY, PLENTY OF TRANSIT,
AND AT SOME POINT,

WE ARE SURE THERE WERE
FOUR PLANETS AND FIVE PLANETS,

THEN MAYBE SIX, MAYBE SEVEN.

IN FACT, IT WAS REALLY
TOO COMPLEX FOR US TO DECIPHER

BECAUSE WE WERE OBSERVING
FROM THE GROUND, FROM EARTH,

AND WE KNEW WE NEEDED
VERY PRECISE OBSERVATION

AND CONTINUOUS OBSERVATION.

♪

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY
TO GET A CLEAR ENOUGH PICTURE

OF THE RED DWARF STAR
WOULD BE TO VIEW IT FROM SPACE.

♪

TELESCOPES BEYOND EARTH
ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN,

SO TIME ON THEM IS LIMITED.

BUT AS NEWS SPREAD OF
THIS EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY,

EVERY RESOURCE WAS SOON
PUT AT THEIR DISPOSAL,

INCLUDING ONE OF NASA's
FOUR GREAT OBSERVATORIES,

THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE.

ASTRONOMER SEAN CAREY RUNS

NASA's SPITZER SCIENCE CENTER
IN CALIFORNIA.

♪

SO, THIS IS A MODEL OF
THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE.

IT'S A 1/3 SCALE MODEL,

SO ADD TWO MORE OF THESE
ON TOP --

THEN YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW BIG
THE TELESCOPE IS IN SPACE.

Narrator: SPITZER WAS
THE PERFECT INSTRUMENT

TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT TRAPPIST-1.

FIRST,
IT'S AN INFRARED TELESCOPE,

SO THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR IS 4,000
TIMES BRIGHTER IN THE INFRARED

THAN IT IS IN VISIBLE LIGHT.

THE SECOND THING
IS SPITZER'S ORBIT,

BECAUSE SPITZER
ISN'T ON THE EARTH,

SO IT DOESN'T HAVE DAY/NIGHT.

YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO STOP
OBSERVING WHEN THE SUN COMES UP,

AND THAT ALLOWS US TO LOOK AT
OBJECTS FOR A MUCH LONGER TIME.

Narrator: THE SPACE TELESCOPE
WATCHED THE TRAPPIST STAR

FOR OVER 20 CONTINUOUS
DAYS AND NIGHTS.

Carey: SO, THESE ARE IMAGES
FROM SPITZER OF TRAPPIST-1,

AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT

ARE THE DATA
THAT WERE USED TO DETERMINE

THE NUMBER OF PLANETS
AROUND TRAPPIST-1

AND HELP US
TO DETERMINE THEIR PROPERTIES.

AND SO, IF YOU MEASURE THE
AMOUNT OF WHITE FROM THE STAR

AND THEN PLOT THAT
AS A FUNCTION OF TIME --

THIS IS WHAT ASTRONOMERS DO --
YOU SEE THESE DIPS,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN A PLANET
PASSES IN FRONT OF THE STAR.

WHEN WE SAW THIS, THAT WAS --

IT WAS A VERY HAPPY MORNING
WHEN WE MADE THIS PLOT.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD

RACED TO DECIPHER THE SIGNAL.

WE ANALYZED THE DATA AS SOON
AS THEY CAME FROM SPACE,

AND THE CONCLUSION
THAT THERE WERE SEVEN PLANETS

WAS INESCAPABLE.

MY BEST HOPE WOULD HAVE BEEN
TO DETECT ONE PLANET,

SO THIS SYSTEM OF SEVEN PLANETS

CAME OUT THE BLUE
TO OUR SURPRISE,

AND REALLY LIKE WINNING THE
LOTTERY, SORT OF COSMIC LOTTERY.

♪

Narrator: PLANET HUNTER
EXTRAORDINAIRE MICHAEL GILLON

HAD MADE AN HISTORIC DISCOVERY,

ARMED WITH
A REMARKABLY SMALL TELESCOPE.

BUT THIS WAS JUST THE BEGINNING
OF THE STORY.

♪

♪

Narrator:
SINCE THE HISTORIC DISCOVERY

OF THE SEVEN EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
THAT SURROUND THE TRAPPIST STAR,

SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN
PIECING TOGETHER THE DATA,

LEARNING MORE
ABOUT THESE ALIEN WORLDS,

AND GIVING A GLIMPSE
OF HOW THEY MIGHT LOOK

FROM A NEIGHBORING PLANET.

Gillon:
THE SYSTEM IS UNIQUE,

NOT ONLY BY THE SHEER NUMBER
OF EARTH-SIZED PLANETS,

BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF ITS
VERY COMPACT CONFIGURATION --

THE PLANETS ARE VERY CLOSE
TO EACH OTHER.

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE
THE VIEWS YOU SHOULD HAVE

FROM THE SURFACE
OF ONE OF THESE PLANETS --

YOU WOULD SEE THE OTHER PLANETS
LIKE WE SEE THE MOON.

SO YOU WOULD SEE
ALL THE DETAILS,

NOT JUST A DOT OF LIGHT,

BUT YOU WOULD REALLY SEE --
I DON'T KNOW --

THE CLOUDS, THE CONTINENTS,
WHATEVER IS THERE.

Narrator: AS WELL AS THE PLANETS
BEING NEAR EACH OTHER,

THEY ARE ALSO MUCH CLOSER
TO THEIR STAR,

KNOWN AS TRAPPIST-1a.

THE INNER TWO PLANETS,

TRAPPIST-1b AND 1c,
ARE IN A DANGER ZONE,

OVER 60 TIMES CLOSER
TO THE RED DWARF STAR

THAN THE EARTH IS TO THE SUN.

♪

Loeb: FROM THE SURFACE
OF ITS NEAREST PLANET,

TRAPPIST-1 WOULD APPEAR
10 TIMES BIGGER

THAN THE SUN
LOOKS TO US HERE ON EARTH.

IT WOULD BE RED AND HEATING
THE SURFACE TO A TEMPERATURE

THAT IS WELL ABOVE THE BOILING
TEMPERATURE OF WATER,

SO IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HOT
ON A SUNNY DAY OUT THERE.

Narrator: HARVARD PROFESSOR
AVI LOEB HAS STUDIED

HOW STARS
CAN AFFECT NEARBY PLANETS.

THE INNER TWO TRAPPIST WORLDS
ARE SO CLOSE TO THE RED DWARF

THAT ONE SIDE OF EACH PLANET

IS THOUGHT TO BE GRAVITATIONALLY
LOCKED TO ALWAYS FACE ITS SUN,

MEANING ONE HEMISPHERE
WOULD BE CONTINUOUSLY BLASTED

BY INTENSE RADIATION,

WHILE THE OTHER IS TRAPPED
IN PERPETUAL DARKNESS.

ONE SIDE OF THE PLANET THAT IS
FACING THE STAR WOULD BE SO HOT

THAT LIQUID WATER
WOULD BOIL OFF THE SURFACE.

THE OTHER SIDE WOULD BE
EXTREMELY COLD, SUCH THAT

IF THERE IS ANY WATER THERE,
IT WOULD BECOME ICE.

IN BETWEEN THE TWO REGIONS,

THERE IS
A PERMANENT SUNSET STRIP

FROM WHICH ONE CAN ALWAYS
SEE THE SUNSET.

♪

Narrator:
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

ON PLANET TRAPPIST-1b

COULD BE AROUND
270 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

BUT ON THE DAY SIDE,

IT COULD GET
MUCH HOTTER THAN THAT.

THE EXTREME HEAT FROM THE STAR

MIGHT EVEN CREATE A THICK HAZE
COVERING THE SURFACE.

♪

BUT AS WELL AS SCORCHING
THE INNER PLANETS FROM ABOVE,

THE RED DWARF STAR
ALSO GENERATES

INCREDIBLY POWERFUL
MAGNETIC FIELDS.

DR. KRISTINA KISLYAKOVA HAS
STUDIED HOW THIS INVISIBLE FORCE

CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE THE PLANETS
CLOSEST TO THE STAR

TO HEAT UP FROM THE INSIDE.

SHE'S COME TO A FOUNDRY
THAT MELTS STEEL INSIDE FURNACES

BY GENERATING
A POWERFUL MAGNETIC FIELD.

Kislyakova:
SO, HERE, WE ARE LOOKING AT

A FEW INDUCTION FURNACES,

WHICH ARE USED
TO MELT MATERIALS,

ESPECIALLY METAL,
USING INDUCTION-HEATING EFFECT,

AND THE SAME VERY EFFECT
CAN BE AT WORK

IN THE TRAPPIST-1
PLANETARY SYSTEM.

Narrator: THE MAGNETIC FIELD
CHANGES DIRECTION

200 TIMES EVERY SECOND,

TRIGGERING INTENSE ELECTRICAL
CURRENTS DEEP INSIDE THE METAL.

AS ELECTRONS SWARM THROUGH
THE STEEL,

THEY CRASH INTO ITS ATOMS,

HEATING IT TO OVER
2,500 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

♪

AS THE PLANETS HURTLE 'ROUND
THE STAR,

THEY PASS THROUGH A RAPIDLY
CHANGING MAGNETIC FIELD,

WHICH HEATS METALS
DEEP WITHIN THEM.

♪

THIS PHENOMENON
IS FAR MORE POWERFUL

THAN IT IS
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM

BECAUSE THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR
HAS A MAGNETIC FIELD

HUNDREDS OF TIMES
STRONGER THAN OUR SUN,

AND ITS PLANETS ARE MUCH NEARER.

THE CLOSER YOU GO TO THE STAR,
THE STRONGER THE EFFECT WILL BE,

SIMPLY BECAUSE
THE MAGNETIC FIELD

WILL BE STRONGER
CLOSER TO THE STAR.

SO, IN TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM
PLANETS,

b AND c HAVE
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECT.

IF THE MAGNETIC FIELD
IS STRONG ENOUGH,

IT WILL BASICALLY CREATE
CURRENTS OF SUCH STRENGTH

THAT IT WILL MELT
THE PLANETARY MANTLE.

♪

Narrator: KRISTINA'S STUDY
PREDICTS THAT MOLTEN ROCK

COULD BE FLOWING UNDER THE
SURFACE OF THE INNER PLANETS,

AND JUST LIKE ON EARTH,

WHEN PLANETS
HAVE MOLTEN ROCK INSIDE,

IT WILL SOMETIMES FORCE ITS WAY
TO THE SURFACE,

CREATING VOLCANOES.

♪

THE CLOSEST WORLDS TO THE STAR
COULD BE COVERED IN VOLCANOES

ALL OVER THEIR SURFACE.

MAYBE ONE CAN IMAGINE THAT IT
KIND OF LOOKS SOMETHING SIMILAR

TO THIS FURNACE,
WHERE ONE CAN SEE

THE MOLTEN METAL
WITH FUMES COMING OUT OF IT.

♪

Narrator:
ALTHOUGH NOT AS VOLCANIC

AS THE INNERMOST PLANET,

TRAPPIST-1c IS LESS LIKELY TO BE
SHROUDED IN A HOT, GASSY HAZE,

REVEALING A POCKMARKED,
DESOLATE SURFACE.

IT MAY LOOK LIKE
A MUCH HOTTER VERSION

OF THE MOST VOLCANIC BODY
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM,

JUPITER'S MOON IO.

♪

BEYOND THE FIERY DANGER ZONE,

THE NEXT TWO PLANETS ARE IN
A COOLER, MORE TEMPERATE ZONE.

IN FACT, SCIENTISTS HAVE
CALCULATED THAT TRAPPIST-1d

AND 1e GET A SIMILAR AMOUNT
OF HEAT FROM THEIR STAR

AS THE EARTH DOES FROM THE SUN.

BUT TO FIND OUT HOW SIMILAR
THEY REALLY ARE TO OUR WORLD,

SCIENTISTS ARE STRIVING
TO DISCOVER MORE

ABOUT THESE PLANETS,

AND THEY'RE MAKING
GOOD PROGRESS.

♪

♪

Narrator: AT NASA's
SPITZER SCIENCE CENTER,

ASTRONOMER SEAN CAREY
IS PART OF A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS

MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN THE RACE
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT

THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS
OF TRAPPIST-1.

WE KNOW AN AMAZING AMOUNT
ABOUT THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS,

COMPARED TO OTHER EXOPLANETS.

IN FACT, WE KNOW MORE ABOUT
THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM

THAN ANY OTHER PLANETARY SYSTEM
EXCEPT FOR OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS WERE ABLE
TO WORK OUT THE MASS

AND SIZE OF EACH PLANET
FROM THE SPITZER DATA

AND COULD THEN USE THESE RESULTS
TO CALCULATE HOW DENSE THEY ARE.

LIKE ALL KINDS OF ROCKS,

SOME ARE MUCH DENSER
THAN OTHERS.

♪

SO, HERE ARE A SELECTION
OF METEORITES.

MOST OF THESE ARE FROM ASTEROIDS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND THIS ONE HERE IS FROM MARS.

THIS ONE HERE IS VERY DARK.

IT'S RATHER HEAVY.

IT'S MADE MOSTLY OF IRON.

THIS ONE IS MUCH ROCKIER.

IT'S A MIXTURE OF IRON ROCK,
BUT MORE ROCK THAN IRON.

IT'S MUCH LIGHTER THAN
AND MUCH LESS DENSE THAN THIS.

Narrator: AS WITH METEORITES,
THE DENSITY OF A PLANET

CAN GIVE YOU A CLUE
AS TO WHAT IT'S MADE OF,

AND THE MOST
TANTALIZING SUBSTANCES

TO FIND ON THE TRAPPIST WORLD
WOULD BE THE LEAST DENSE,

LIKE WATER
AND A GASSY ATMOSPHERE.

♪

WHEN THE DENSITY OF THE PLANETS
WAS FINALLY CALCULATED,

THE TEAM GAINED
A FASCINATING GLIMPSE

OF WHAT
THESE WORLDS MIGHT BE LIKE.

THE DENSITIES TELL US THAT
THEY'RE LIGHTER

THAN A PURE BALL OF ROCK,
THAT THERE HAS TO BE

LIGHTER MATERIAL, LIKE WATER
OR LIKE CARBON DIOXIDE.

TRAPPIST-1d AND e,
WHICH HAVE TEMPERATURES

WHICH ARE KIND OF SIMILAR
TO THE EARTH,

WOULD POTENTIALLY
HAVE LIQUIDS ON THEIR SURFACE,

POTENTIALLY LIQUID WATER.

BUT, THEN, YOU KNOW, IF YOU
START TALKING ABOUT WATER,

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT
THE POTENTIAL FOR LIFE,

SO EVERYBODY'S EXCITED
ABOUT THAT.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS THINK
BOTH THE TRAPPIST PLANETS

IN THE TEMPERATE ZONE
HAVE WATER ON THEM.

TRAPPIST-1d IS ACTUALLY THE
LEAST DENSE OF ALL THE PLANETS,

WHICH MEANS IT COULD HAVE
250 TIMES MORE WATER THAN EARTH.

WITH A WARM CLIMATE,
IT COULD BE A WATER WORLD,

COVERED BY A DEEP OCEAN
OVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE.

♪

THE FOURTH PLANET, HOWEVER,
TRAPPIST-1e,

HAS ALMOST THE SAME DENSITY
AS EARTH,

SUGGESTING IT COULD HAVE
A MIX OF OCEANS AND LAND,

WHICH WOULD MAKE IT LOOK
EERILY LIKE OUR HOME.

♪

BEYOND THIS TEMPERATE ZONE,

THE LAST THREE PLANETS RECEIVE
MUCH LESS HEAT FROM THEIR STAR.

IN ITS FRIGID ZONE,
THESE OUTERMOST WORLDS

ALSO HAVE A LOW ENOUGH DENSITY
TO HAVE WATER IN SOME FORM.

TO FIND OUT IF THEY'RE ALL
JUST FROZEN ICE BALLS,

SCIENTISTS NEED TO KNOW
ANOTHER CRUCIAL DETAIL.

DR. ALEXANDRIA JOHNSON CREATES
ALIEN SKIES IN HER LAB.

Johnson:
WE'RE TRYING TO SIMULATE

EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERES --

IN PARTICULAR,
WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT

HOW EXOPLANET CLOUDS
SCATTER LIGHT,

'CAUSE IT TELLS US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE

AND THE CLIMATE ON THAT SYSTEM.

Narrator: BY FIRING A LASER
AT CLOUD PARTICLES IN A CHAMBER,

ALEXANDRIA CAN SEE IF THE LIGHT
GETS ABSORBED BY THE ATMOSPHERE

OR REFLECTED BACK OUT TO SPACE.

SHE CAN THEN MULTIPLY THE EFFECT
BY THE MILLIONS OF PARTICLES

IN A CLOUD TO SIMULATE THE
OVERALL IMPACT ON AN EXOPLANET.

Johnson: SO, WE DON'T QUITE KNOW
IF THERE ARE CLOUDS

ON THE TRAPPIST PLANETS YET,

BUT IF WE STUDY THEM
IN THIS MANNER,

WE CAN GET AN IDEA
OF HOW MUCH STARLIGHT

IS ACTUALLY MAKING IT
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,

AND THUS, HOW WARM
THE ATMOSPHERES COULD BE

AND WHAT SORT OF CLIMATES
MIGHT BE ON THESE PLANETS.

Narrator: THE CLOUDS AROUND
A PLANET CAN CHANGE ITS CLIMATE,

AND SO CAN THE GASES
IN ITS ATMOSPHERE.

TO STUDY THAT, THERE'S NO BETTER
LAB THAN THE EARTH ITSELF.

FORTUNATELY, ALEXANDRIA'S LAB

IS IN THE TALLEST BUILDING
IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,

THE PERFECT SPOT
FOR A WEATHER STATION.

SO, IN BOSTON, IN MASSACHUSETTS,
WE'VE BEEN RECORDING

THE TEMPERATURE
SINCE THE EARLY 1900s,

AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT
OVER THE 20th CENTURY,

THERE'S AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE.

BUT OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS,

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR THE YEAR

HAS ALWAYS BEEN HIGHER
THAN THAT.

SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING
IS CONTINUAL WARMING

OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME TREND
WE SEE ALL OVER THE WORLD.

♪

Narrator:
IT'S NOW WELL-KNOWN THIS WARMING

IS CAUSED BY MORE GREENHOUSE
GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

Johnson: THE MAIN ONES
ARE CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE,

AND THEY COLLECT
THE INFRARED RADIATION

THAT'S GIVEN OFF BY THE SURFACE,

AND THEN, THEY, IN TURN,
HEAT THE ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator:
JUST LIKE ON EARTH,

THESE GASES CAN TRAP HEAT
ON EXOPLANETS.

ASTRONOMERS HAVE CALCULATED THAT
WITHOUT AN ATMOSPHERE,

THE OUTER TRAPPIST PLANETS
WOULD BE FROZEN SOLID,

BUT WITH THE RIGHT
KIND OF ATMOSPHERE AND CLOUDS,

THESE GIANT SNOWBALLS
COULD WARM UP.

IF YOU PUT INTO A SYSTEM
THESE GREENHOUSE GASES,

CREATE A SUBSTANTIAL ATMOSPHERE,

YOU CAN BEGIN TO TRAP
THE RADIATION FROM THAT STAR,

THEN YOU CAN HAVE WARMING,
AND YOU COULD ACTUALLY,

POTENTIALLY,
HAVE LIQUID AT THE SURFACE.

♪

Narrator:
WITH HELP FROM AN ATMOSPHERE,

CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT
PLANET TRAPPIST-1f RECEIVES

JUST ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT WATER
AT ITS WARMEST REGION,

AN ICE-RIMMED OCEAN FORMING
THE PUPIL OF A FROZEN EYEBALL

STARING AT ITS SUN.

BUT THE LAST TWO PLANETS

HAVE LESS HOPE OF LIQUID WATER
ON THEIR SURFACE.

Johnson: TRAPPIST PLANETS 1g AND
1h ARE FURTHER FROM THEIR STAR,

SO THEY RECEIVE LESS RADIATION,

WHICH MEANS IT'S ACTUALLY
CONSIDERED TO BE PAST

THE ICE LINE,
WHICH IS A TEMPERATURE REGIME

WHERE THE VOLATILE,
SUCH AS WATER,

WOULD BE LOCKED UP
IN SOLIDS, LIKE ICE.

Narrator: PLANET TRAPPIST-1g
RECEIVES SO LITTLE HEAT

FROM THE STAR
THAT EVEN WITH AN ATMOSPHERE,

ITS SURFACE IS LIKELY
COVERED IN SOLID ICE.

WITHOUT ONE,
IT COULD BE AS BITTERLY COLD

AS NIGHT ON MARS --
MINUS 112 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

FINALLY, THE FRIGID OUTERMOST
WORLD OF THE TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM

IS THE COLDEST OF ALL.

WITH A SURFACE TEMPERATURE
PREDICTED TO BE NO MORE

THAN 150 DEGREES BELOW FREEZING,

IT COULD BE ALMOST AS COLD
AS JUPITER'S LARGEST MOON,

ICY GANYMEDE.

♪

THE UNREMARKABLE TRAPPIST-1 STAR
HAS SEVEN EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS,

OF WHICH AT LEAST THREE
MAY HAVE THICK ATMOSPHERES

AND LIQUID WATER
ON THEIR SURFACES,

FEATURES THAT WOULD MAKE THE
PLANETS POTENTIALLY HABITABLE.

AND THAT RAISES
AN ENTICING QUESTION --

COULD THESE WORLDS
ALSO HARBOR LIFE?

♪

♪

Narrator:
AS SCIENTISTS LEARN MORE

ABOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS

THAT SURROUND
THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR,

THEY'RE FINDING THAT
AT LEAST THREE OF THEM

HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR LIFE,
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

TO GIVE EVOLUTION ENOUGH TIME
TO GET STARTED,

YOU ALSO NEED STABILITY...

♪

...SOMETHING THE TRAPPIST
PLANETS, AT FIRST, SEEM TO LACK.

♪

FROM PLANET TRAPPIST-1h,

THE OTHER SIX WORLDS
WOULD HANG CLEARLY IN THE SKY,

A STUNNING DISPLAY OF
JUST HOW COMPACT THE SYSTEM IS.

BUT IF PLANETS GET TOO NEAR
EACH OTHER, IT CAN SPELL DOOM.

Russo: THE PLANETS ARE ALL
VERY CLOSE TOGETHER,

AND SO, THEY EACH FEEL
EACH OTHER'S GRAVITY

AND THEY GIVE EACH OTHER
LITTLE TUGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN,

AND THAT CAN BE
A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

Narrator: WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT
THE COMPACT SYSTEM,

ASTROPHYSICIST MATT RUSSO WAS
FASCINATED BY THESE INTERACTIONS

AND THE FATE OF THE PLANETS.

WHEN THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS
WERE FIRST DISCOVERED,

ASTRONOMERS TRIED TO SIMULATE
THEIR ORBITS,

AND THEY FOUND THAT AFTER
A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME,

THE SYSTEM WENT UNSTABLE --

PLANETS STARTED CRASHING INTO
EACH OTHER OR GETTING EJECTED.

IT WAS JUST A COMPLETE MESS
VERY, VERY FAST.

SO, THAT MEANS THAT EITHER
WE'RE CATCHING THE SYSTEM

JUST BEFORE
EVERYTHING GOES HAYWIRE

OR THERE IS SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS
KEEPING THIS SYSTEM STABLE.

Narrator:
THE SEVEN WORLDS APPEAR

ON THE VERGE OF CATASTROPHE,

BUT APPEARANCES
CAN BE DECEPTIVE.

AS WELL AS BEING A SCIENTIST,

MATT IS
AN ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN,

AND THIS TRAPPIST MYSTERY

GOT HIM THINKING
ABOUT AN UNUSUAL CONNECTION.

♪

WITH THE HELP OF AN ORCHESTRA,
HE SET OUT TO TRANSLATE

THE MOVEMENTS OF THE PLANETS
INTO ACTUAL MUSIC.

Russo: IF YOU SPEED UP
THE MOTION OF THESE PLANETS

BY MILLIONS OF TIMES,

THEIR MOTION WOULD ACTUALLY
PRODUCE MUSICAL NOTES.

Narrator: IF THE ORCHESTRA
REPRESENTS THE TRAPPIST SYSTEM,

THEN TUNING UP IS A BIT LIKE
HOW THE PLANETS FORMED,

AND THAT COULD BE THE KEY
TO THE SYSTEM'S SURVIVAL.

SO, WHEN PLANETS FORM,

THE PLANETS ARE ORBITING INSIDE
A DISC OF GAS AND DUST,

AND WHILE THEY'RE INSIDE
THAT DISC,

THEY CAN SLIDE AROUND AND TUNE
THEMSELVES TO THEIR NEIGHBORS.

AND AS THESE PLANETS
SLIDE AROUND, SOMETIMES,

THEY CAN GET LOCKED INTO
A VERY STABLE CONFIGURATION.

♪

Narrator: THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS
OF THE ORCHESTRA ARE NOW

IN HARMONY WITH EACH OTHER,
PLAYING THE MUSIC

OF THE PERFECTLY SYNCHRONIZED
TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM.

♪

THE UNPRECEDENTED SYMMETRY
THAT ALLOWS MATT

TO TURN
THE TRAPPIST-1 ORBITS INTO MUSIC

ALSO CAUSES
ALL THE PLANETARY TUGS

TO CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT,
KEEPING THE PLANETS IN BALANCE.

♪

WE NOW KNOW THAT
THE TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM

IS ABOUT 7 BILLION YEARS OLD --

THAT'S MUCH OLDER
THAN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.

AND SO, IF THESE PLANETS
WEREN'T FINELY TUNED

IN THIS MUSICAL CONFIGURATION,

THERE'S NO WAY THEY COULD HAVE
LASTED THAT LONG.

Narrator: IF IT TURNS OUT THAT
ANY OF THE TRAPPIST-1 PLANETS

DO HAVE THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
FOR LIFE, 7 BILLION YEARS

IS CERTAINLY LONG ENOUGH
FOR EVOLUTION TO GET GOING --

AN EXHILARATING POSSIBILITY.

♪

BUT NOT EVERYONE IS OPTIMISTIC.

LIKE OUR SUN, THE TRAPPIST STAR
PRODUCES EXPLOSIVE,

DESTRUCTIVE OUTBURSTS
CALLED "STELLAR FLARES."

♪

THE BIGGEST SOLAR FLARES
OF OUR SUN

CAN RELEASE THE ENERGY
OF A BILLION HYDROGEN BOMBS.

YET, THE SUN'S ACTIVITY
IS RELATIVELY TAME

COMPARED TO THAT OF OTHER STARS,
INCLUDING RED DWARFS,

LIKE TRAPPIST-1,
THAT ARE MUCH SMALLER IN SIZE.

THESE STARS ARE FAINTER
THAN THE SUN BY 10,000 TIMES,

BUT THE FREQUENCY OF FLARES
ON RED DWARFS IS MUCH HIGHER,

AND THE FLARES
ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL

THAN THEY ARE FOR THE SUN.

♪

Narrator: WHENEVER
THE TRAPPIST STAR FLARES,

THE NEARBY PLANETS ARE BATHED
IN INTENSE ULTRAVIOLET,

OR UV, LIGHT,
AND THIS KIND OF RADIATION

CAN HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT
ON LIFE.

♪

WITH THE TRAPPIST PLANETS
SO CLOSE

TO SUCH A VOLATILE STAR,

AVI LOEB DOUBTS WHETHER
LIVING ORGANISMS COULD SURVIVE.

Loeb: I BELIEVE THAT THE PLANETS
AROUND TRAPPIST-1

DO NOT HAVE LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
ON THEM DUE TO THE MANY RISKS

THAT THIS ENVIRONMENT POSES
FOR LIFE.

Narrator:
YET, OTHER SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THERE MAY BE REASON FOR HOPE.

♪

ASTROBIOLOGIST
JACK O'MALLEY-JAMES

WANTS TO KNOW
IF THERE'S A WAY FOR LIFE

TO SURVIVE
THESE STELLAR SUPERFLARES.

TO FIND OUT, HE'S BEEN
INVESTIGATING HOW LIFE ON EARTH

COPES WITH UV.

HE'S COME TO THE LONDON AQUARIUM

TO SEE HOW SEA CREATURES
RESPOND TO THE RADIATION.

SO, MOST OF THE SUN'S UV
IS FILTERED OUT

BY THE OZONE LAYER
IN THE ATMOSPHERE,

AND THE REST THAT MAKES IT DOWN
TO THE SURFACE IS LOW ENOUGH

THAT ANIMALS CAN COPE WITH IT
BY MOVING AWAY INTO THE SHADE,

LIKE THIS SEA TURTLE HERE,
WHICH IS HIDING UNDER A ROCK --

ANYTHING THAT PUTS
A SMALL BARRIER BETWEEN YOU

AND THAT RADIATION IS ENOUGH.

Narrator: BUT NOT ALL CREATURES
CAN ESCAPE INTO THE SHADE

DURING THE HEAT OF A MIDDAY SUN.

CORAL POLYPS ARE SMALL ANIMALS

THAT CREATE HARD SKELETONS
AROUND THEIR BODIES,

WHICH, TOGETHER, ANCHOR
CORAL REEFS TO THE SEAFLOOR.

CORALS, LIKE IN THIS REEF HERE,
ARE STUCK IN PLACE.

SO, WHEN THEY'RE EXPOSED
TO HIGH LEVELS OF UV RADIATION,

SUCH AS WHEN THE TIDE GOES OUT,

THEY CAN'T MOVE AWAY FROM IT,
THEY CAN'T HIDE,

AND SO THEY NEED
TO DO SOMETHING ELSE

TO DEAL WITH THAT RADIATION.

Narrator: SOMEHOW,
CORALS MANAGE TO SURVIVE,

EVEN THRIVE,
IN SHALLOW TROPICAL WATERS,

WHERE ULTRAVIOLET
IS AT ITS STRONGEST.

BEHIND THE SCENES
AT THE LONDON AQUARIUM,

SOME NEWLY GROWN CORAL
MAY PROVIDE A CLUE

AS TO HOW THEY DO IT.

ONE THEORY SUGGESTS
THE MARINE CREATURES

MAY HAVE EVOLVED A MECHANISM

TO COPE WITH
THE HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION.

O' Malley-James: THEY HAVE
THESE FLUORESCENT PIGMENTS

INSIDE THEM.

SO, AS THE UV FROM THE LAMP
HITS THE FLUORESCENT PROTEINS

ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CORAL,

THEY'RE ACTING LIKE
A SORT OF SHIELD,

AND THEY'RE ABSORBING
THE HIGH-ENERGY UV LIGHT

AND ALMOST INSTANTLY CONVERTING
THAT INTO A LOWER-ENERGY,

HARMLESS FORM OF LIGHT.

SO IT IS LIKE A GLOWING FORM
OF SUNSCREEN.

Narrator: BY CONVERTING
THE UV LIGHT INTO VISIBLE LIGHT,

THE CORAL POLYPS ARE
PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM HARM.

AND JACK BELIEVES THIS PROCESS
COULD BE HAPPENING

ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE.

O'Malley-James: SO, IT COULD,
IN THEORY, BE HAPPENING ANYWHERE

WHERE THERE'S HIGH LEVELS
OF UV RADIATION,

SUCH AS THE PLANETS
IN THE TRAPPIST-1 SYSTEM

OR PLANETS AROUND SIMILAR STARS
WE'RE STARTING TO FIND NOW.

THIS MECHANISM COULD ACTUALLY
MAKE THOSE WORLDS

A LOT MORE HABITABLE FOR LIFE,
RATHER THAN LESS HABITABLE.

Narrator: MANY SCIENTISTS THINK
IT'S POSSIBLE

THAT LIFE DOES EXIST
ON THE TRAPPIST PLANETS --

IN PARTICULAR, THE PLANET RIGHT
IN THE MIDDLE, TRAPPIST-1e.

AND IF BIOFLUORESCENT ORGANISMS
ARE THRIVING THERE,

IT COULD HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY
EFFECT ON THE EARTH-LIKE WORLD.

♪

O'Malley-James: AS A FLARE HIT,
YOU'D SEE THIS PLANET LIGHT UP

WITH A GLOW OF WHATEVER COLOR
IT WAS FLUORESCING,

SO YOU COULD IMAGINE THIS PLANET
THAT HAS A VAGUE OUTLINE

THAT SUDDENLY BECOMES
BRIGHT GREEN IN THE SKY.

Narrator:
A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT.

BUT IF JACK O'MALLEY-JAMES
IS RIGHT,

THE GLOWING PLANET COULD HAVE A
SIGNIFICANCE BEYOND ITS BEAUTY.

LIKE A GREAT
ASTRONOMICAL BEACON,

IT COULD ONE DAY BETRAY
THE PRESENCE OF ALIEN LIFE.

♪

♪

Narrator:
TODAY, DETECTING SIGNS OF LIFE

ON AN EARTH-SIZED EXOPLANET

IS NOT YET POSSIBLE, EVEN WITH
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST TELESCOPES.

BUT IN THE ATACAMA DESERT
IN CHILE,

THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE.

DR. JULIEN MILLI IS PREPARING
FOR A PROJECT

THAT WILL TRANSFORM
THE SEARCH FOR LIFE

ELSEWHERE IN THE GALAXY.

♪

Milli:
WE ARE LOOKING FOR LIFE,

OR TO FIND HINTS THAT
THERE IS LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS.

AND IT'S MUCH MORE LIKELY
TO FIND LIFE ON ROCKY PLANETS

THAN ON GAS GIANTS,

SO THIS IS WHY WE WANT TO GO
FOR THOSE FAINT ROCKY PLANETS

THAT ARE MUCH DIFFICULT
TO CATCH,

BUT ALSO MUCH MORE REWARDING,
POTENTIALLY.

Narrator:
TO FIND THOSE ROCKY PLANETS,

ASTRONOMERS NEED
BIGGER TELESCOPES.

JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM
THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE,

CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN ON
THE EXTREMELY LARGE TELESCOPE,

OR ELT.

Milli: SO, THE NEW TELESCOPE
WILL BE FIVE TIMES BIGGER,

SO IT MEANS IT WILL BE

THE BIGGEST OPTICAL TELESCOPE
ON EARTH.

AND WITH THAT, WE'LL BE ABLE
TO SEARCH FOR PLANETS

THAT ARE MUCH FAINTER,

AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO GO
FROM THE REGIME OF GIANT PLANET

TO SMALLER PLANETS
AND MAYBE ROCKY PLANETS.

Narrator:
ONCE COMPLETE, THE ELT WILL BE

THE BIGGEST OPTICAL TELESCOPE
IN THE WORLD.

ITS 128-FOOT MIRROR WILL COLLECT
100 MILLION TIMES

MORE LIGHT THAN THE HUMAN EYE,
ALLOWING IT TO DETECT

CRUCIAL DETAILS
ABOUT EARTH-SIZED PLANETS.

WE COULD FIND
SOME SIGNATURE OF LIFE.

SO, TO DO THAT,
WE WOULD NEED TO ANALYZE

THE ATMOSPHERE OF THOSE PLANETS.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A COMBINATION
THAT COULD ONLY BE PRODUCED

IF THERE IS
A BIOLOGICAL PROCESS.

Narrator: AS WELL AS NEW
GROUND-BASED TELESCOPES,

THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE

SHOULD REVEAL
UNPRECEDENTED NEW DETAILS

ABOUT ALIEN PLANETS
AFTER ITS LAUNCH,

PLANNED FOR 2021.

THESE MASSIVE NEW TELESCOPES

WILL GIVE ASTRONOMERS
THE BEST CHANCE

OF FINDING EVIDENCE
OF ALIEN LIFE.

Milli: I WOULD FEEL
EXTREMELY REWARDED, OF COURSE,

TO DETECT SIGNS OF LIFE,

WHICH WOULD BE
AN AMAZING DISCOVERY,

AND IT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF
THE GOALS OF THIS BIG TELESCOPE

IS TO LOOK FOR LIFE.

Narrator: ANSWERING THE QUESTION
OF WHETHER WE'RE ALONE

IN THE UNIVERSE
COULD BE A FEW SHORT YEARS AWAY.

IN THE MEANTIME,
ASTRONOMERS ARE LINING UP

AS MANY EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
AS POSSIBLE

SO THEY CAN BE SCANNED
FOR SIGNS OF LIFE

AS SOON AS THE NEW TELESCOPES
ARE READY.

♪

50 MILES ACROSS
THE CHILEAN DESERT,

MICHAEL GILLON IS ALSO BUILDING
A NEW OBSERVATORY --

THIS TIME, WITH FOUR TELESCOPES,
WHICH HE HAS NAMED "SPECULOOS."

♪

TRAPPIST-1 HAS PROVED
BEYOND ANY DOUBT

THAT RED DWARFS REALLY ARE
GOOD TARGETS FOR PLANET HUNTING,

SO MICHAEL PLANS TO STAKE OUT
A LOT MORE OF THEM.

SO, 1,000 OF THEM THAT ARE
NEARBY ENOUGH TO MAKE POSSIBLE

IF WE DETECT
AN EARTH-SIZE PLANET

TO SEARCH FOR TRACES OF LIFE IN
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THESE PLANETS.

Narrator: IF THE TELLTALE
SIGNS OF LIFE ARE ONE DAY FOUND

IN A SYSTEM LIKE TRAPPIST-1,
IT WOULD CONFIRM

THAT ORGANISMS CAN AND DO THRIVE
AROUND RED DWARF STARS,

AND THAT MATTERS

BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE OF THEM
OUT THERE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

♪

NOT A SINGLE RED DWARF STAR
IS VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE,

BUT IF YOU COULD SEE RED DWARFS
AS CLEARLY AS OTHER STARS,

THE SKY WOULD LOOK
VERY DIFFERENT --

IN FACT,
THERE ARE MORE RED DWARFS

THAN ANY OTHER KIND OF STAR,

WITH AROUND 200 BILLION OF THEM
IN OUR GALAXY ALONE.

AND RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST

THEY'RE USUALLY ACCOMPANIED
BY SMALL PLANETS.

Gillon: IT SEEMS THAT THESE
KIND OF PLANETS ARE VERY COMMON

AROUND THESE SMALL STARS,

AND WITH THE SUM OF ALL
THE RED DWARFS IN OUR GALAXY,

YOU COULD END WITH --
I DON'T KNOW --

THOUSANDS OF BILLIONS
OF PLANETS OVER THERE.

♪

Narrator: ONE DAY,
THE SEVEN WORLDS OF TRAPPIST-1

MAY NOT SEEM SO UNIQUE
AFTER ALL,

WITH A GALAXY BRIMMING
WITH EARTH-SIZED PLANETS

ORBITING RED DWARF STARS.

AND IF SOMEONE DOES FIND TRACES
OF LIFE ON ONE OF THESE WORLDS,

IT WOULD HAVE
PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS

ABOUT THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE.

Gillon: IF YOU WOULD DETECT LIFE
ON A NEARBY RED DWARF,

IT PROBABLY MEANS THAT LIFE
IS EVERYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE,

THAT LIFE IS
A COSMIC PHENOMENON.

Narrator: WITHIN A DECADE,
WE MAY DISCOVER

THAT FAR FROM BEING ALONE,
WE ARE SURROUNDED BY LIFE,

THAT THE UNIVERSE
IS TEEMING WITH IT.

♪