NASA unveils awesome posters advertising trips to distant planets

A new discovery of seven planets orbiting a cool, Jupiter-sized star has scientists and adventurers thrilled about the prospects of life beyond Earth. In preparation, NASA is getting a head start in marketing the isolated planets as the ideal vacation spot with an awesome graphic poster.

The trip would not be for the faint of heart or fearful flyers. TRAPPIST-1 is a star located 39 light years (369 trillion kilometres) away. Regardless, the people at NASA have made the trip sound very appealing.

“Some 40 light-years from Earth, a planet called TRAPPIST-1e offers a heart-stopping view: brilliant objects in a red sky, looming like larger and smaller versions of our own moon,” the U.S. government agency wrote. “But these are no moons. They are other Earth-sized planets in a spectacular planetary system outside our own. These seven rocky worlds huddle around their small, dim, red star, like a family around a campfire.”

What makes TRAPPIST-1 so exciting is the potential for it to sustain life. Scientists believe that all seven planets could contain water, being the right size and distance from the sun, according to information obtained by CBC News.

Amaury Triaud, co-author of a study published Wednesday in the science journal Nature, said this is the first discovery of its kind.

“We have made a crucial step toward finding if there is life out there,” said Triaud. “I don’t think any time before we had the right planets to discover and find out if there was,” the co-author added.

“Now, we have the right target.”