What inspired the TRAPPIST telescope's name?

Belgian Trappist beers, as well as an acronym

What is special about the planets' orbits?

They form a chain of orbital resonances

TRAPPIST-1 Quiz: The Star With Seven Earth-Sized Planets

In February 2017 astronomers announced seven rocky worlds around one small red star 40 light-years away, and this TRAPPIST-1 quiz explores what they found. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Michaël Gillon's team, the Belgian telescope with a beer-inspired name, Spitzer, the habitable zone, tight orbits, resonance and what the James Webb Space Telescope has measured.

Start TRAPPIST-1 Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Planets
How many planets orbit TRAPPIST-1?
Star
What kind of star is TRAPPIST-1?
Distance
Roughly how far is TRAPPIST-1 from Earth?
Announced
When was the full seven-planet system announced?
Name
What inspired the TRAPPIST telescope's name?
Leader
Which astronomer led the discovery team?
Zone
How many planets lie in the star's habitable zone?
Orbits
How long does the innermost planet take to orbit?
Resonance
What is special about the planets' orbits?
JWST
What did James Webb measurements suggest about TRAPPIST-1b?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How many planets orbit TRAPPIST-1?
Answer: Seven
They are named b through h.
Q2: What kind of star is TRAPPIST-1?
Answer: An ultracool red dwarf
It is only slightly larger than Jupiter.
Q3: Roughly how far is TRAPPIST-1 from Earth?
Answer: About 40 light-years
It lies in the constellation Aquarius.
Q4: When was the full seven-planet system announced?
Answer: 2017
NASA and Belgian astronomers shared the news in February 2017.
Q5: What inspired the TRAPPIST telescope's name?
Answer: Belgian Trappist beers, as well as an acronym
It stands for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope.
Q6: Which astronomer led the discovery team?
Answer: Michaël Gillon
He works at the University of Liège.
Q7: How many planets lie in the star's habitable zone?
Answer: Three or four
Planets e, f and g are most often cited.
Q8: How long does the innermost planet take to orbit?
Answer: About 1.5 days
All seven orbits would fit inside Mercury's.
Q9: What is special about the planets' orbits?
Answer: They form a chain of orbital resonances
Their periods fit simple ratios.
Q10: What did James Webb measurements suggest about TRAPPIST-1b?
Answer: It lacks a thick atmosphere
Its dayside appears hot and bare.

Trappist-1 Quiz – Seven Worlds Around a Small Star

TRAPPIST-1 is an ultracool red dwarf star about 40 light-years away in Aquarius, only slightly larger than Jupiter. In February 2017 a team led by Michaël Gillon announced that seven Earth-sized planets orbit it.

The discovery used the Belgian TRAPPIST telescope, whose name nods to Trappist beers, and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. All seven orbits would fit inside Mercury's, with the innermost planet orbiting in about 1.5 days. Several lie in the habitable zone.

The planets form a chain of orbital resonances. The James Webb Space Telescope has studied them, finding that TRAPPIST-1b appears to lack a thick atmosphere. Scientists continue to search for atmospheres on the others.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans and students will enjoy these questions.

What kind of star it is
How many planets it has
Who found them
Which may be habitable
What Webb has learned

Did You Know?

The planets are likely tidally locked.
From one planet, others would look larger than our Moon.
The star flares often, which may strip atmospheres.
TRAPPIST-1 will shine for trillions of years.
Artists have made travel posters of the system.