A recent study accepted to The Astrophysical Journal<\/em> uses computer models to investigate why the exoplanet, TRAPPIST-1c, could not possess a thick carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere despite it receiving the same amount of solar radiation from its parent star as the planet Venus receives from our Sun, with the latter having a very thick carbon dioxide atmosphere. This study comes after a June 2023 study published in Nature<\/em> used data from NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to ascertain that TRAPPIST-1c does not possess a carbon dioxide atmosphere. Both studies come as the TRAPPIST-1 system, which is located approximately 41 light-years from Earth and orbits its star in just 2.4 days, has received a lot of attention from the scientific community in the last few years due to the number of confirmed exoplanets within the system and their potential for astrobiology purposes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe TRAPPIST-1 system is special because it hosts seven approximately Earth-sized planets that exist in orbital locations interior to, within, and outside of the habitable zone, where liquid water may exist,\u201d Katie Teixeria, who is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin and lead author of the study, tells Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cSince TRAPPIST-1 is an M dwarf star (unlike the Sun, which is a G type star), we are uncertain whether its planets can retain atmospheres, which is a prerequisite\u00a0for habitability. By searching for atmospheres in the TRAPPIST-1 system, we get the first clues as to whether M dwarf systems, which make up about 70% of stars in our galaxy, are conducive to life.\u201d<\/p>\n For the study, the researchers used a series of computer models to simulate the evolution of TRAPPIST-1c\u2019s atmosphere, specifically pertaining to how much of the planet\u2019s atmosphere was lost over time from the parent star\u2019s solar radiation, also known as stellar (solar) wind stripping. In the end, the results indicated that TRAPPIST-1c potentially experienced a removal of approximately 16 bars of CO2 gas, which the researchers note is less than the current amount of CO2 on Earth or Venus.<\/p>\n \n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TRAPPIST-1_c_Light_Curve-750-2.jpg\")