K2-18 b – NASA
Using NASA’s James Webb Telescope, scientists from Cambridge University may have found proof of life existing on an exoplanet, a planet in another solar system. The planet is K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, and could be a Hycean exoplanet, one which has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface.
The reason for believing there may be life there is that scientists found evidence of Methane gas in its atmosphere. And methane has carbon molecules. In addition to an abundance of methane and carbon dioxide, the atmosphere has a shortage of ammonia. All this, say scientists, supports the hypothesis that there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b.
These initial Webb observations also provided a possible detection of a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS). On Earth, this is only produced by life. The bulk of the DMS in Earth’s atmosphere is emitted from phytoplankton in marine environments.
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According to NASA, the abundance of methane and carbon dioxide, and shortage of ammonia, support the hypothesis that there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b. These initial Webb observations also provided a possible detection of a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS). On Earth, this is only produced by life. The bulk of the DMS in Earth’s atmosphere is emitted from phytoplankton in marine environments.
The Goldilocks region, or zone, is also known as the habitable zone. It is the region around a star where liquid water could exist on the surface of a planet. It is named after the fairy tale character Goldilocks, who found a bowl of porridge that was “just right,” not too hot or too cold.
The zone is important because liquid water is considered to be essential for life as we know it. Water is a solvent that allows for many of the chemical reactions that are necessary for life to occur. It is also a habitat for many different types of organisms.
The Goldilocks zone is determined by a number of factors, including the star’s type, luminosity, and age. Stars that are too hot or too faint will have Goldilocks zones that are too close or too far away, respectively. This will make it difficult for liquid water to exist on the surface of planets in these zones.
Astronomers are using a variety of methods to search for planets in the Goldilocks zones of other stars. One method is to look for the transit of a planet across its star. When a planet transits its star, it causes a small dip in the star’s brightness. This dip can be detected by telescopes on Earth.
Another method for searching for planets in the Goldilocks zone is to look for the wobble of a star. As a planet orbits its star, it pulls on the star with its gravity. This causes the star to wobble slightly. This wobble can be detected by measuring the Doppler shift of the star’s light.
So far, astronomers have discovered over 5,000 exoplanets, including a number of planets in the Goldilocks zones of their stars. However, none of these planets have been definitively confirmed to be habitable.
Scientists are excited about the possibility of finding habitable planets in the Goldilocks zones of other stars. If such planets are found, it would raise the possibility that life exists beyond Earth.
NASA explains that K2-18 b orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in the habitable zone and lies 120 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. Exoplanets such as K2-18 b, which have sizes between those of Earth and Neptune, are unlike anything in our solar system. This lack of equivalent nearby planets means that these ‘sub-Neptunes’ are poorly understood, and the nature of their atmospheres is a matter of active debate among astronomers.
“Our findings underscore the importance of considering diverse habitable environments in the search for life elsewhere,” explained Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the paper announcing these results. “Traditionally, the search for life on exoplanets has focused primarily on smaller rocky planets, but the larger Hycean worlds are significantly more conducive to atmospheric observations.”
