NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered that the exoplanet, which is 8.6 times more massive than Earth, contains carbon-based molecules including methane and carbon dioxide. This is K2-18 b. US space agency discovery suggests it could be a planet Hysen. In other words, it has the potential to have a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and be a water world.
An exoplanet is a planet orbiting a star other than the Sun. K2-18 b orbits the cool dwarf K2-18. It is located in the constellation Leo, 120 light years from Earth.. Exoplanets like this one, which fall between Earth and Neptune in size, are unlike anything in our solar system, NASA explained in a statement. Therefore, its atmosphere still holds several mysteries for the astronomical community.
They are also called “sub-Neptunes” and are the most common type of planet in the galaxy. They are intriguing because Some astronomers believe these worlds provide promising environments for the search for life.
K2-18 b is located in the “habitable zone” of its star. That is, in a region with a temperature that allows the presence of water. The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide and the lack of ammonia support the hypothesis that an ocean of water may exist beneath K2-18 b’s hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
James Webb’s initial observations also revealed a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in this possible water world. “On Earth it produces only life.”, NASA emphasizes. Most of the DMS on our planet is generated by marine phytoplankton.
James Webb’s next research on a possible water world
The James Webb Telescope team will continue to analyze whether this possible water world could support life. You must confirm first If DMS is indeed present in the atmosphere of K2-18 b at significant levels, explained Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the paper on the new discovery.
Although K2-18 b is located in the habitable zone and is now known to have carbon-containing molecules on its surface, this does not mean that it can necessarily support life. The planet’s large size, with a radius 2.6 times that of Earth, indicates that it may contain a large, high-pressure icy mantle within.
Something similar to what happens on Neptune, but with a thinner, hydrogen-rich atmosphere and an oceanic surface. However, another hypothesis indicates that it may be Ocean K2-18 b is too hot to be habitable or even liquid.
The first atmospheric properties of this possible water world were obtained by James Webb’s big brother, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. But observations of these planets are dwarfed by the brilliance of their much larger parent stars. Webb’s technology, which has been in operation for more than a year, has overcome this obstacle.
Hunters for extraterrestrial life focused primarily on rockier, Earth-like planets.. But a 2021 study published in Astrophysical Journalalready warned about the potential of the oceans Hysen. “Our ultimate goal is to identify life on a habitable exoplanet, which will change our understanding of our place in the universe,” Madhusudhan added.
Source: Hiper Textual
