Planet K2-18b orbits a cool dwarf star (shown in red). (Image source: NASA) Looking at Chinese websites, it is prohibited to establish mirror websites.
[Watch China, September 18, 2023]NASA scientists have discovered preliminary evidence that life may exist on a planet 100 light-years away. It is forbidden to create mirror websites on Chinese websites.
According to the British Broadcasting Company BBC, NASA’s Webb Space Telescope discovered a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on the distant planet K2-18b. This molecule is only produced by life on Earth. produce.
“On Earth, DMS is produced only by life. Much of it in the Earth’s atmosphere is released by phytoplankton in the marine environment,” Professor Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge, who led the study, told the BBC.
The discovery marks the first time astronomers have detected the possible presence of a DMS in a planet orbiting a distant star, the report said.
NASA researchers said that in addition to DMS, they also detected methane and carbon dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere, suggesting that the planet may be home to an ocean.
Planet K2-18b is about 120 light-years away from Earth and is about nine times the size of Earth. The distant planet already meets all the conditions researchers typically look for when assessing whether a planet can support life, including temperature, the presence of carbon and the potential for liquid water.
Mandersultan told the BBC that confirming the presence of DMS on a planet would be a “big deal” and more responsible research was needed.
The Webb Space Telescope assesses distant planets by analyzing the light that passes through their atmospheres, which contain the chemical signatures of molecules. “Details can be deciphered by splitting light into its component frequencies, much like a prism creates a rainbow spectrum. If part of the resulting spectrum is missing, it has been absorbed by chemicals in the planet’s atmosphere, allowing researchers to discover its composition.” BBC reported.
NASA’s Hubble Telescope initially detected the presence of water vapor on K2-18b, leading to Webb’s study of the planet.
Marcy, deputy director of research at the Royal Astronomical Society in London, told the BBC he was excited about the possible discovery.
“We are slowly moving toward being able to answer the big question of whether we are alone in the universe,” he said. “I am optimistic that one day we will find signs of life. … Maybe that’s it, maybe in 10 or even 50 years we will There will be convincing evidence, and this is the best explanation.”
Even more interesting is that this planet is unlike Earth-like planets, so-called rocky planets, which are found orbiting distant stars that are candidates for life.
Exoplanets are planets orbiting other stars that are between Earth and Neptune in size and unlike any planet in the solar system. Another member of the analysis team, Dr Sarkar of Cardiff University, said this means that not much is known about these “sub-Neptunes” and the nature of their atmospheres.
“Although no such planets exist in our solar system, sub-Neptunes are by far the most common type of planet known in the Milky Way,” he said. “We have obtained the most detailed spectrum of habitable zone sub-Neptunes to date. Allowing us to calculate the molecules present in its atmosphere.”
Source: Look at China
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