Новий дім людства? Телескоп Джеймса Вебба виявив потенційно придатну для життя планету
Researchers analyzing data from the James Webb Telescope have determined that exoplanet LHS 1140 b may be an icy water world. Interestingly, it is potentially capable of supporting an Earth-like atmosphere and even life.
The planet, previously thought to be a mini-Neptune, is located about 48 light-years from Earth. It orbits a red dwarf in the habitable zone. This means that it receives enough radiation from the star for the theoretical existence of liquid water. New data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) indicate that LHS 1140 b — is likely a rocky or icy «super-Earth», water-rich planet. This makes it an even better candidate for the search for extraterrestrial life than previously thought.
Ryan McDonald, a NASA researcher, said: «This is the first time we’ve seen a hint of an atmosphere on a rocky or ice-rich exoplanet in a habitable zone. Detecting atmospheres on small, rocky worlds is a major goal of JWST, but these signals are much harder to see than those of giant planets».
LHS 1140 b, open in 2017, has a mass six times that of the Earth. It has already attracted scientists because of its proximity to the solar system. The latest findings only increase the excitement.
«Of all the temperate exoplanets known to date, LHS 1140 b may well be our best chance to one day indirectly confirm the presence of liquid water on the surface of an alien world outside our solar system», — said the lead author research and Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the University of Montreal. «This would be an important milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets».
Although it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, observations indicate that 10 to 20 percent of the planet’s mass may be water. This means that it could be a huge snowball or lump of ice with a subsurface ocean. The researchers’ analysis also suggests that its atmosphere could be rich in nitrogen. In this case, the exoplanet’s surface could have an ocean 4000 kilometers in diameter with a water temperature of about 20 °C.
McDonald adds: «Although we need more JWST observations to confirm the nitrogen-rich atmosphere and search for other gases, this is a very promising start».
It is worth noting that LHS 1140 b is not alone in its fascinating characteristics. There are also a number of other exoplanets in the habitable zone that are attracting scientists. The most obvious are perhaps the seven worlds of the system TRAPPIST-1, a planetary series that looks very similar to the structure of our solar system.
Source: Space.com, Futurism.com