Editor’s note
‘Space’, which contains all kinds of celestial bodies such as quasars and black holes, is still an unfamiliar and difficult subject. It introduces in an easy-to-understand manner the exploration of the universe that is underway around the world and the appearance of the universe that it has revealed.
An imaginary view of the exoplanet WASP-107b. WASP-107b is an exoplanet with an atmosphere that orbits close to a star. Provided by NASA
WASP-107b discovered by James Webb
Check sulfur dioxide and silicate atmosphere
Philosophical implications of exoplanet research
Last week, I heard that the James Webb Space Telescope discovered that the atmosphere of the exoplanet ‘WASP-107b’ contains water vapor, sulfur dioxide, and silicate clouds. This is not the first time that the atmosphere of an exoplanet has been studied and its composition revealed. However, the reason we mention this discovery again is because it makes us feel that we are one step closer to discovering an exoplanet harboring extraterrestrial life.
A ‘planet’ refers to a celestial body like the Earth that is as heavy as the sun and orbits a ‘star’ that generates its own energy and shines. Our solar system consists of the sun and eight planets, and planets beyond the solar system are called exoplanets. As the closest exoplanet to Earth is 4.3 light years away, the exoplanet is so far away that light would have to travel for at least 4.3 years (tens to tens of thousands of light years or more). The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992, but the ripple effect of the research was not large, perhaps because the exoplanet discovered at that time was in a very special environment.
Then, in 1995, two astronomers, Mayor and Cuello (who later won the Nobel Prize in Physics), discovered an exoplanet next to a star called 51st Pegasus, which had characteristics very similar to our Sun. In that study, related research grew by leaps and bounds as it proposed an observation technique that could relatively easily find exoplanets. As of November 2023, 5,540 exoplanets were discovered, although only a few were discovered until the late 1990s, and it is now possible to analyze the components of the atmosphere of exoplanets.
Graphics = Reporter Shin Dong-jun
When you think of extraterrestrial planets, what naturally comes to mind is extraterrestrial life. One of the reasons why studying the atmospheric composition of exoplanets is important is because atmospheric composition indicates whether extraterrestrial life exists. In the case of Earth, nitrogen and oxygen molecules are the main molecules that make up the atmosphere. However, on other planets in the solar system, oxygen is rarely found in the atmosphere. This is because oxygen easily combines with other elements to create other molecules. Just like oxygen and carbon combine to create carbon dioxide.
It is natural that there is no oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere, but strangely enough, there is a large amount of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. This is because living organisms called plants continue to supply oxygen to the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, astronomers consider the oxygen in the atmosphere of an exoplanet to be a biomarker that indicates the presence or absence of extraterrestrial life. If an exoplanet is discovered whose atmosphere has as much oxygen as Earth’s, it will be a discovery of the century that strongly suggests the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Of course, even if the physical and chemical environments are similar, it is not yet known whether such environments can lead to the emergence of life. However, if we learn how often extraterrestrial life is discovered on exoplanets with environments similar to Earth, we can understand the universality of life. If signs of extraterrestrial life are discovered throughout the universe, the future we have seen in science fiction movies could be depicted.
Conversely, what if you can’t find any evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life no matter how much you search? However, there is no need to be too pessimistic. Because the Earth and humanity are not just insignificant dust in the universe, but dust that is very special and must be treated with care. In this way, research on exoplanets awakens humanity’s importance and its place in the universe and has the potential to revolutionize humankind’s philosophical thinking and change the world. In fact, not only exoplanet research but all science is such a meaningful human activity. Exoplanet research is reminding us that doing science is more than just a means to satisfy curiosity or make more money, it has a higher value in that it awakens humans from ignorance about the world and opens the way to creating a new, better world. .
Lim Myung-shin, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University
Lim Myung-shin, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University
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