Webb Telescope Detects Some Molecules Associated With Life in Exoplanet Atmosphere
Stories submitted via Arthur T Knackerbracket and by NotSanguine about the exoplanet K2-18 b:
James Webb Telescope Detects Further Proof That Distant Exoplanet May Host LifeArthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Scientists have discovered methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of K2-18 b, a distant exoplanet that has long piqued the curiosity of astronomers for having the potential to sustain life.
Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists based at NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) were able to detect the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the planet that is about 8.6 times the Earth's mass.
The discovery adds to recent studies that suggested the K2-18 b could be what is known as a Hycean exoplanet - one that has the potential to have a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface.
[...] Our findings underscore the importance of considering diverse habitable environments in the search for life elsewhere," explained Prof Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the paper announcing these results, which will be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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."
These initial Webb observations also provided a possible detection of a molecule called dimethyl sulphide, which on Earth is only produced by life - largely emitted by the vast swathes of phytoplankton that inhabit our oceans.
Upcoming Webb observations should be able to confirm if [dimethyl sulphide] is indeed present in the atmosphere of K2-18 b at significant levels," added Madhusudhan.
Even though K2-18 b hosts carbon-bearing molecules and lies in the habitable zone based on the distance from its star, this does not mean it can necessarily support life. Scientists said that the planet's large size means that its interior likely contains a large mantle of high-pressure ice.
And while Hycean worlds are predicted to have oceans of water, it is possible that the ocean is too hot to be habitable or be liquid.
Paper preprint [PDF]
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