Did you know that a planet with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and oceans of liquid water is called a Hycean planet? Well, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope may have found one of these intriguing planets 120 light years away. According to researchers, the planet known as K2-18b has been found to contain carbon-bearing molecules, including methane and carbon dioxide, which suggests that it is indeed a Hycean planet. But that’s not all – there’s also a possible sign of life. The team of astronomers led by Nikku Madhusudhan from the University of Cambridge has detected a molecule called dimethyl sulphide, which is only produced by life on Earth. Talk about an exciting discovery!
Madhusudhan and his team were “shocked” by the findings. According to Madhusudhan, dimethyl sulphide is mainly emitted by phytoplankton in marine environments on Earth. However, he emphasizes that the findings are not yet confirmed and further research is being conducted. The team hopes to have more data to support their findings in about a year. K2-18b, which orbits the star K2-18 in the Leo constellation, is approximately nine times the size of Earth, making it a “sub-Neptune” – a planet larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. Subhajit Sarkar, another member of the team, explains that sub-Neptunes are the most common type of planet known in the galaxy. The team has obtained the most detailed spectrum of a habitable-zone sub-Neptune to date, allowing them to analyze the molecules present in its atmosphere.
In fact, the investigation of K2-18b is just the beginning of what the James Webb Space Telescope can unveil about potentially habitable distant planets. The team believes that by studying exoplanets like K2-18b, they can eventually identify signs of life on habitable exoplanets, which would revolutionize our understanding of our place in the universe. Madhusudhan states, “Our findings are a promising step towards a deeper understanding of Hycean worlds in this quest.” Who knows what other mysteries await us out there in space? Exciting times lie ahead! (Read more exoplanet stories.)
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