The Barren Reality of Trappist-1c: A Rocky World with No Atmosphere

 In the vast cosmos that houses over 4,000 discovered exoplanets, the Trappist-1 system has become a focal point of astronomical exploration in recent years. Unearthed in 2016, its seven planets form an intriguingly compact configuration around a red dwarf, a star category smaller and cooler than our Sun. 

Red dwarfs, despite being the most prevalent stars in the universe, have been marked as unlikely habitats due to their characteristic intense stellar eruptions. Yet, the Trappist-1 system, including the planet Trappist-1c, has been under rigorous scrutiny by renowned space telescopes like Spitzer, Hubble, and now, James Webb. 

Located a mere 0.0158 AU from its central star, Trappist-1c takes a brisk 2.4 days to complete one orbit. The red dwarf's lower luminosity levels mean that Trappist-1c receives sunlight similar to what Venus receives from our Sun. Moreover, its size is akin to the second innermost planet in our Solar System. 

In a quest to ascertain whether Trappist-1c also harbors a thick atmosphere like Venus, James Webb observed the planet in infrared four times, documenting any temperature changes. The findings revealed a barren, rocky world devoid of any atmosphere. While the existence of a thin layer of carbon dioxide isn't entirely dismissed, it's believed to be sparser than Mars's and devoid of clouds. 

This lack of atmosphere suggests that Trappist-1c was formed under conditions scarce in water, indicating that it cannot, and never could, support life. 

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI).