Scientists have found evidence that suggests there may be an “ocean” on the exoplanet K2-18 b, which is 120 million light-years from Earth.
Scientists at the NASA space agency have announced they have found evidence that it is possible that there may be an “ocean” on the exoplanet known as “K2-18 b,” which is millions of light years away.
K2-18 b is a giant planet 8.6 times larger than Earth in the constellation Leo. Which is 120 million light years away from Earth. This star has been studied in the past with Hubble and Kepler. But didn’t get enough details. And recent data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has advanced the study.
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The exoplanet orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in what NASA calls a “supersolar planet.” The “potentially habitable zone” is the area around a star that may contain water-bearing planets.
NASA says its interior likely consists of a large layer of high-pressure ice. similar to Neptune But it likely has a thinner hydrogen-rich atmosphere and surface ocean.
Surveying the chemical composition of K2-18 b’s atmosphere, James Webb found “an abundance of methane and carbon dioxide.” and lack of ammonia Support the hypothesis that There may be a hydrogen-rich subatmospheric ocean in K2-18 b.”
Astronomers stated that This exoplanet It has the potential to be a star with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a surface covered by water or an ocean. Also known as the Hycean star (Hycean; Hydrogen + Ocean)
NASA also hinted at an even more dramatic possibility. That is the discovery of a molecule called “Dimethyl sulfide” (Dimetyl Sulfide; DMS) which on earth “It can only be produced by living things.”
NASA states that “the majority of DMS in Earth’s atmosphere is emitted by phytoplankton in the marine environment.”
However, Nikku Madusudhan, an astronomer from the University of Cambridge One of the researchers who discovered this evidence said that the existence of DMS still needs to be further studied and confirmed.
“Detailed survey by James Webb forthcoming. It should be possible to confirm whether there is a significant level of DMS in the atmosphere of K2-18 b,” Madusuthan said.
This isn’t the first time NASA has found signs of water on another planet. Water vapor was previously discovered on the small exoplanet HAT-P-11b, which is about the size of Neptune in the constellation Cygnus. which is also 120 light years away.
But scientists are still excited about this discovery. Even though they emphasize that This does not mean that planets will always be able to support life, as K2-18 b has proven to contain water even after this. But it is also possible that The planet’s oceans may be too hot to be habitable.
Madusudhan said “Our findings highlight the importance of considering a wide range of living environments in the search for life on other planets…Traditionally, The search for life on exoplanets has focused primarily on smaller, rocky planets. But the Hytian worlds, which are often larger, are more conducive to observing their atmospheres.”
Madusudhan credits the discovery to James Webb. “This discovery was only possible because of James Webb’s extended wavelength range and unprecedented sensitivity, which This makes it possible to efficiently detect spectral features in just two shots.”
He added, “In comparison, One James Webb observation is as accurate as eight Hubble observations.”
Compiled from NASA / The Guardian
Picture from NASA
