But this particular star, as scientist Brian Koberlein reports, was discovered to have seven planets orbiting it. Yet at the same time, the seven worlds discovered to orbit TRAPPIST-1 are incredibly close in. They're more comparable to the moons of Jupiter than they are to the planets in our Solar System as far as distances go. Future observations may yet reveal more than eight planets meeting the International Astronomical Union's criteria, which would make TRAPPIST-1 the richest star system ever found. While the discovery of these seven planets is remarkable, the most interesting part of this story is yet to be written.

Source: Forbes February 22, 2017 18:00 UTC