TRAPPIST-1: Interact With The Seven-Planet Solar System In 3D With NASA’s Apps, Here’s How

American space agency NASA recently revealed the discovery of seven Earth-like planets that orbit a star in the exoplanet system called TRAPPIST-1. It is located in the constellation Aquarius, which is about 40 lightyears away from Earth. The announcement is creating a lot of buzz, and even Google Doodle took to celebrate the ground-breaking discovery. What is more interesting is that a person can travel through the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system and also see the artists’ concepts of the seven worlds with NASA’s interactive apps, apart from just reading about these on the news.

One can also download the desktop app Eyes on Exoplanets to experience travel to the TRAPPIST-1 system. In fact, this fully rendered 3D universe is scientifically accurate and enables a person to get a close look at more than 1,000 exoplanets that orbit distant stars. The program is updated everyday with the newest finds from NASA and ground-based observatories around the globe.

People who are always on the go and more dependent on their mobile phones to stay connected to the World Wide Web can view the TRAPPIST-1 system in 3D on their mobile phones. The app makes it possible to visit the newly discovered star system through NASA’s New World Atlas with just a touch on the screen. The New Worlds Atlas has every exoplanet discovery to date and is powered by NASA's Exoplanet Archive, which is the the official database used by professional astronomers engaged in researching about new planets.

A person can also go directly to the TRAPPIST-1 segment on the New Worlds Atlas to compare each planet in this exoplanetary system to Earth or Jupiter (click on Planet View in the first column and Compare to Earth/Jupiter in the second column), compare the TRAPPIST-1 system to the Solar System (this comparison view is truly spectacular) and also see the extent of the habitable zone.