News JVTech Has James Webb found a new habitable planet? NASA telescope makes surprising discovery
Published on September 16, 2023 at 3:15 p.m
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Has the James Webb Telescope found a new habitable exoplanet? At least that’s what his latest discovery, which is 124 light-years from Earth, suggests.
James Webb has been traveling through space in search of new worlds for several years. With every new discovery, The space telescope confirms its usefulness and its potential to make us dream. His latest discovery is called K2-18 b : It is an exoplanet with 8.6 times the mass of Earth, located in the constellation Leo, 124 light-years from our blue planet.
Why has this exoplanet been in the news a lot in recent days? Simply because according to NASA it shows the characteristics of a habitable world. Strictly speaking, K2-18 b would be a Hycean planet.
A planet with everything necessary for life?
You may have never heard or read the term “Hycean” – no, it’s not an evolution of the Pokémon Hypocean – and it’s a relatively new name for good reason. That’s thanks to astronomers at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, who presented the idea in 2021. “Hycean” is the contraction of the words “hydrogen” and “ocean(ic)”.
Concrete, According to NASA’s initial observations, K2-18 b would have a surface loaded with methane and carbon dioxide molecules. The presence of these two gases is an important indicator of the presence of hydrogen, but also water, in its atmosphere. So the exoplanet could certainly protect oceans. This cocktail is essential for life.
“The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide and the lack of ammonia support the hypothesis that K2-18 b may contain an ocean of water beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere,” explains NASA. “These early observations by Webb also discovered a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS). On Earth this is only created by life. Most of the DMS present in the Earth’s atmosphere is emitted by phytoplankton in marine environments. »
Is there life on this new planet?
However, NASA scientists remain cautious. This series of discoveries, as promising as they are, is not enough to determine whether there is life on K2-18 b. At this point, it’s not even sure if it’s actually habitable. “The size of the planet – with a radius 2.6 times that of Earth – means the planet’s interior likely contains a huge mantle of high-pressure ice, like Neptune, but with a thinner, richer atmosphere Hydrogen and an ocean surface,” explains the space agency. “The Hycean worlds should have oceans of water. However, it is also possible that the ocean is too warm to be habitable or liquid. »
Researchers will therefore continue to study the data collected by James Webb to learn more about this exoplanet. “Our ultimate goal is to identify life on a habitable exoplanet, which would transform our understanding of our place in the universe,” comments Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and lead analyst on the results. “Our results represent a promising step toward a deeper understanding of the Hycean worlds in this search.”