In the search for alien life, astronomers have recently begun studying a promising region, a solar system that is populated by a number of potentially life-friendly planets formed by fragments of an exploding star some 7 million years ago and features many of the geological and climatic prerequisites for the evolution of life.
A]features
b]featured
C]had featured
D]featuring
E]feature
Can any one explain the use of verb forms Underlined and Bolded?