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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Scientists are one step closer to confirming the presence of an Earth-like atmosphere on an exoplanet (planets outside our solar system), thanks to recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope.
This development is related to the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, discovered in 2016 by a group of Belgian astronomers, which is located about 40 light-years from Earth and consists of seven rocky planets.
The focus is on TRAPPIST-1e, the fourth planet in the system, which is located in the habitable zone, where, if an atmosphere exists, liquid water could exist. Four observations conducted in 2023 did not rule out the possibility of an atmosphere.
Unlike the closest planet to its system's star, TRAPPIST-1b, which has lost its atmosphere, TRAPPIST-1e remains a promising candidate.
Researchers have managed to rule out the possibility of a hydrogen- or carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere, like those of Venus and Mars. Instead, the most likely scenario is an Earth-like atmosphere, based on nitrogen. This would be a revolutionary starting point for the search for extraterrestrial life.
According to Néstor Espinoza of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, 15 more observations are being made and final results are expected within the year. If an atmosphere is detected, even with traces of gases such as methane, it would be strong evidence that planets around red dwarf stars, the most common in the Universe, could be habitable.
Although the results are not yet conclusive, scientists say that for the first time we are within realistic possibility of identifying an atmosphere around a rocky planet outside our solar system. This would revolutionize the search for life in the cosmos.
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