Cannabis lovers over the decades have grown up looking at the sky with wonder. In the 70s, rockstar scientist Carl Sagan wooed nerdy teens with his peaceful meditations on the universe and gentle cannabis activism. Now, herb enthusiasts everywhere have something new to ponder. For real, NASA has just discovered a new solar system that could theoretically support life.
NASA discovered new system
Sorry to say, no aliens have been found yet. Though, there are several good reasons to be curious about this new finding. As reported by The Independent, this solar system is the “most incredible to date.”
The solar system currently bears the unfortunate name of TRAPPIST-1, and it consists of several earth-sized planets. Three or more of the planets in the solar system are suspected to have water, which is a vital essential for life as we know it. These planets also all orbit a red dwarf star, which is similar to our sun here on earth.
The six planets closest to the sun are thought have a rocky terrain similar to that of our own planet. They’re also expected to be in the ideal temperature range to support life.
While these points are just educated guesses thus far, scientists hope that that the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope project will be able to confirm or deny the presence of water in the future. Should some of these plants have water, it would be the biggest space discovery in human history.
TRAPPIST-1 is beautiful
The solar system is a close 39 lightyears from earth. The first planets were discovered early in 2016, and astronomers have since zeroed in on the potentially revolutionary finding.
Apparently, living on TRAPPIST-1 would be a visual dessert. Participating scientist Dr. Amaury Triaud told the press that,
The spectacle would be beautiful. Every now and then you’d see another planet, about as big as another moon in the sky. -Amaury Triaud
Next, astronomers hope to use telescopes and other technologies both on land and in space to study the atmospheres of the planets in TRAPPIST-1.
Life support
Should they find evidence of certain compounds, there is a very good chance that some form of alien life may exist in this particular system. Though, it’s probably best not to get too excited for the time being.
If humans lived on TRAPPIST-1, researchers think that the world would look a lot darker than our current one. Living there would be like living in with constant sunset. The red dwarf star that acts as the system’s sun is about the size of Jupiter, meaning it gives off less light.
Planets also orbit much more closely to this particular star, meaning that the sun would look a lot bigger. Dr. Tiraud suggests that should life exist in this solar system, it would probably see a lot differently than we humans do.
Six spacey strains to help you contemplate
What better way to celebrate NASA’s discovery than with some really good cannabis? Here are a few space-themed strains worthy of the day:
- Space Queen (hybrid)
- Galactic Jack (sativa)
- Lemon Alien Dawg (hybrid)
- Star Dawg (hybrid)
- Northern Lights (indica)
- Alien Kush (indica)
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