International Desk: Many scientists no longer question the existence of life elsewhere in the universe. Rather, their question is, when will that life be found? Some scientists are hopeful that within the next few years, life may be discovered on a distant planet.
A scientist conducting a mission to Jupiter goes one step further and says that it would be surprising if there was no life on this ice-covered planet. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently detected hints of life on an extrasolar planet. NASA believes there are many more Earth-like planets out there. The discovery of life beyond Earth will be the greatest scientific discovery of all time. That is why several missions have already started or are about to start.
Astronomer Professor Catherine Theimans of Scotland said we live in a universe of infinite stars and planets. Surely we can’t be the only intelligent creatures out there. He said we now have the technology and ability to find the answer to the question of whether we are alone in this universe or not.
Telescopes used in scientific research can now analyze the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars. You can look for chemicals that are produced by living organisms, such as Earth. Earlier last month, there was a major discovery: the detection of gas in the atmosphere of a planet 120 light-years away called K2-18b, which is produced by marine life on Earth. Scientists call this planet the ‘Goldilocks Zone’. The planet is at a distance from the star it orbits, so its surface temperature is neither too hot nor too cold. It also has the right temperature for liquid water, which is essential for life.
An expert team of scientists hopes to know within the next year whether these tantalizing hints confirm the existence of life there. The research is led by Professor Nix Madhusudan of the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. He told the BBC that these indications, if confirmed, would “fundamentally change the way we think about the search for life”. If we find signs of life on this planet, it increases the likelihood that there may be more such life in the universe.
He predicts that within five years, there will be a major shift in our understanding of life in the universe. But if life is not found on this planet, then the team of scientists has 10 more Goldilocks planets on their list, which they will study. They still have a list of some other planets.
This project is just one of many research projects going on in the search for life in the universe. Some of the other projects are looking for life on other planets in the solar system. Some projects are looking deeper into space.
NASA plans to launch the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) by 2030 as a research center to find habitable planets. It will be able to identify and review the atmospheres of Earth-like planets using advanced technology. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is coming later this decade. From the Chilean desert, it will look up at the sky. It will have larger mirrors than other telescopes, allowing it to better see the planets’ atmospheres. They are so incredibly powerful that they can detect tiny bits of light from the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star hundreds of light-years away.
Research has been going on for many years to determine whether radio signals are coming from extraterrestrials or not. Apart from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, many other organizations are doing this research. Although these random searches across the vast universe have not yet yielded any consistent results, if they identify possible places for life elsewhere, they can then give priority to the search.
Even 30 years ago, scientists had no evidence of a planet orbiting another star. But now more than 5,000 such planets have been discovered and are being studied by astronomers. Shubojit Sarkar of Cardiff University, a member of the Ket2-18b research team, thinks all the ingredients are waiting for a discovery. “If we find signs of life, it will be a huge revolution for science,” he said. It will result in a huge change in mankind’s view of himself and his place in the universe. Source: BBC
