NASA's Webb finds Earth-like planet that may have 4000-km frozen sea - Interesting Engineering
The search for habitable exoplanets has taken a thrilling turn with the discovery of LHS 1140 b.
4 hours ago
Temperate exoplanet LHS 1140 b may be a world completely covered in ice (left) similar to Jupiter’s moon Europa or be an ice world with a liquid substellar ocean and a cloudy atmosphere (center).
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spotted the best contender that may support life beyond Earth.
Astronomers from the Université of Montréal analyzed LHS 1140 b, an ice world 48 light-years away.
The researchers propose that this possibly Earth-like world could be veiled by an atmosphere and harbor a vast liquid ocean.
“This is the first time we have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a habitable zone rocky or ice-rich exoplanet,” said Ryan MacDonald, NASA Sagan Fellow in the U-M Department of Astronomy.
Possible atmosphere
New data from the James Webb Space Telescope, combined with observations from other telescopes, provide tantalizing clues about LHS 1140 b.
This newly identified planet orbits a faint red dwarf star (almost one-fifth the size of the sun). It is a super-Earth-sized exoplanet, which means it’s bigger than our Earth, but likely rocky or icy in composition.
LHS 1140 b sits within its star’s habitable zone known as the Goldilocks Zone. The zone allows the planet to have temperatures that allow liquid water to exist on its surface – a key ingredient for life as we know it.
The Webb data provides the “first tantalizing glimpse” at an atmosphere on a giant Earth in the habitable zone.
“LHS 1140 b is one of the best small exoplanets in the habitable zone capable of supporting a thick atmosphere, and we might just have found evidence of air on this world,” MacDonald added.
The atmospheric retrieval analysis revealed that LHS 1140 b’s atmosphere is nitrogen-rich, similar to Earth’s. This suggests the planet could be holding onto a thick atmosphere, which might allow liquid water to exist.
However, they mention that the exciting possibility of a nitrogen atmosphere requires further investigation with JWST.
This planet is the “best bet” to find liquid water
Based on the data, LHS 1140 b seems less dense than a typical rocky planet. This hints that up to 20% of its mass could be water.
This finding bolsters the idea that LHS 1140 b is a water world or a “snowball planet.” If it has an atmosphere similar to Earth’s, models suggest it could have a giant ocean directly facing its star. Surprisingly, this alien ocean’s temperature could be a balmy 20 degrees Celsius.
The discovery of LHS 1140 b adds another promising candidate to the list of potentially habitable exoplanets.
“Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our solar system. This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets,” Charles Cadieux, lead author, and doctoral student, concluded in the press release.
The findings will appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters this week and are already accessible on the arXiv preprint service.
NEWSLETTER
The Blueprint Daily
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her professional experience encompasses both broadcast and digital media, enabling her to learn a variety of storytelling formats. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar