TRAPPIST-1 d Archives - Astrobiology

Surface pressure-temperature (P-T) points for each atmosphere in our work for each planet.

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Coupled Photochemical-Climate Modeling of Plausible Tenuous Outgassed Atmospheres on the TRAPPIST-1 Planets

by Keith CowingMay 16, 2026May 16, 2026

Available JWST observations TRAPPIST-1 system have suggested that several of the planets are likely airless, or possess a very tenuous atmosphere.

C.1: Same as Figure 4 but for the tidal temperature. These values are compared with the equilibrium temperature of all planets (full black circles) and the brightness temperature of T-1b and c (full red circles) estimated in Ducrot et al. (2020). We also give the recently acquired brightness temperatures measured by the JWST: the temperature of planet b comes from Greene et al. (2023), and that of planet c from Zieba et al. (2023). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1

Estimation Of The Tidal Heating In The TRAPPIST-1 Planets. Influence Of The Internal Structure

by Keith CowingJanuary 8, 2026January 8, 2026

With the arrival of JWST observations of the TRAPPIST-1 planets, it is timely to reassess the contribution of tidal heating to their heat budget. JWST thermal phase curves could reveal […]

Final semi-major axes of satellites versus their initial orbital distance (in Hill radii) for TRAPPIST-1 e. -- astro-ph.EP

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Orbital Stability Of Moons Around The TRAPPIST-1 Planets

by Keith CowingDecember 23, 2025December 23, 2025

We investigate the dynamical stability of potential satellites orbiting the seven planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system using a suite of N-body simulations.

Overview of the atmosphere-interior exchange model we use for this study including the various geological processes that we simulate and the various parameters we consider in this model. The carbon cycle is the major overarching process added to this model, which is a negative feedback cycle that regulates the temperature of the planet over geologic timescales, which is crucial for studying habitability. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

The Effect of Oxygen Fugacity and Initial Volatile Abundance on the Atmospheres of the TRAPPIST-1 Planets

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2025November 17, 2025

The TRAPPIST-1 planets have become prime targets for studying the atmospheric and geophysical properties of planets around M-dwarf stars.

Core–mantle partition coefficient of oxygen as a function of pressure and temperature. Left: Experimental data for metal–silicate partitioning of O obtained at high pressures up to 104 GPa. Horizontal dashed line located at DO=0.83 indicates full oxidation of the core (see the main text), and therefore distinguishes ‘terrestrial’ from ‘coreless’ planets. It is clear that, within the investigated pressure range, DO asymptotically approaches the dashed line, but never reaches the core-free regime, albeit higher pressures and temperatures promote the sequestration of O into the metallic core, i.e. larger DO. Right: The same dataset for O partitioning plotted as a function of reciprocal temperature. Dashed lines are fitted results (Eq. 7) showing the dependence of O partitioning on temperature at a given pressure or vice versa. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Limits On Forming Coreless Terrestrial Worlds In The TRAPPIST-1 System

by Keith CowingNovember 4, 2025November 4, 2025

With seven temperate Earth-sized planets revolving around an ultracool red dwarf, the nearby TRAPPIST-1 system offers a unique opportunity to verify models of exoplanet composition, differentiation, and interior structure.

Snapshots of VGS-calculated surface water mass (in units of Earth’s ocean mass) for TRAPPIST-1 analogs, shown as a function of total planet mass (M⊕) and final orbital distance (AU). Panel (a) depict planets at the halfway point of accretion (i.e., when the protoplanet reaches half its final mass), while panels (b) show the final planet properties. Measured properties of the TRAPPIST-1 planets are indicated by black circles (Agol et al. 2021). At mid-assembly, most inner planets are water-poor due to early impact-driven loss and higher irradiation. By the end of accretion, increased volatile delivery events from more water-rich materials and reduced erosion allow many planets, particularly beyond ∼0.03 AU,to accumulate and preserve large water reservoirs, leading to the strong radial gradient in water content. -- astro-ph.EP

Analog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Born Dry or Born Wet? A Palette of Water Growth Histories in TRAPPIST-1 Analogs and Compact Planetary Systems

by Keith CowingOctober 15, 2025October 15, 2025

It is still unclear whether exoplanets in compact multiplanet systems such as TRAPPIST-1 are able to accrete large quantities of volatiles, grow to sufficient mass, and maintain robust atmospheres and […]

This chart shows, on the top row, artist concepts of the seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 with their orbital periods, distances from their star, radii, masses, densities and surface gravity as compared to those of Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (larger image)

Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Born Dry or Born Wet? A Palette of Water Growth Histories in TRAPPIST-1 Analogs and Compact Planetary Systems

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2025September 23, 2025

It is still unclear whether exoplanets in compact multiplanet systems such as TRAPPIST-1 are able to accrete large quantities of volatiles, grow to sufficient mass, and maintain robust atmospheres and […]

The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d -- ESA

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1

There Is No Earth-like Atmosphere On TRAPPIST-1 d

by Keith CowingSeptember 5, 2025September 5, 2025

The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d intrigues astronomers looking for possibly habitable worlds beyond our solar system because it is similar in size to Earth, rocky, and resides in an area around […]

This artist’s concept depicts planet TRAPPIST-1 d passing in front of its turbulent star, with other members of the closely packed system shown in the background. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1

Webb Narrows Atmospheric Possibilities For Earth-sized Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d

by Keith CowingAugust 13, 2025August 13, 2025

The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d intrigues astronomers looking for possibly habitable worlds beyond our solar system because it is similar in size to Earth, rocky, and resides in an area around […]

Joint posterior constraints on the surface partial pressure of key atmospheric absorbers for atmospheric scenarios similar to solar system terrestrials, with N2 as the background gas. The color shadings correspond to the posterior probability mass, and the contours highlight the 68% and 95% confidence regions from the joint retrieval in each case. The absorber in the N2-background atmosphere is labeled in the top right corner of each panel. The dashed-dotted, dashed, and solid sienna lines correspond to an atmospheric surface pressure of 0.1, 1, and 10 bar. We illustrate where typical models of Archean Earth (AE), Modern Earth (ME), and compositions for Titan (T), early Mars (eMa), Mars (Ma), and Venus (V; Encrenaz & Coustenis 2018) approximately lie relative to our constraints for TRAPPIST-1 d. Star markers correspond to specific cloudy cases, where the planet is modeled as either cloudy or cloud-free (for Titan, Modern Earth, and Venus). For the N2-H2O case, we show as a black dotted line the limit of pressures that would be cut off by refraction in a 11 bar atmosphere (10 bar H2O+1 bar N2). For thinner atmospheres, the impact of refraction on atmosphere detectability is even weaker. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Strict Limits On Potential Secondary Atmospheres On The Temperate Rocky Exo-Earth TRAPPIST-1 d

by Keith CowingAugust 13, 2025August 13, 2025

The nearby TRAPPIST-1 system, with its seven small rocky planets orbiting a late-type M8 star, offers an unprecedented opportunity to search for secondary atmospheres on temperate terrestrial worlds.