We may be on the verge of a major breakthrough in our search for other worlds that can support life. Astronomers have aimed the highly advanced instruments of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope at the distant exoplanet GJ 486 b, which orbits a red dwarf star in the constellation Virgo, 26 light-years from Earth. Scientists discovered that there is water vapor around the rocky planet.Footprint of water on distant planet
Located 26 light-years from Earth, this exoplanet named GJ 486 b is three times the mass of Earth, but is smaller than a third of our planet. It is said that planet GJ 486 b, orbiting the red dwarf star in less than 1.5 Earth days, is likely to be tidally locked to its host star. So, just as we can only see one side of the Moon, one side of the planet is forever facing its star and the other side is forever in the dark.
So why has GJ 486 b become so interesting to astronomers? Astronomers observed GJ 486 b and discovered water vapor around the exoplanet that could indicate the presence of an atmosphere on the planet. If proven true, it will go down in history as a major discovery for exoplanet science, as it will change the way astronomers look for habitable worlds in the universe and thus change the way they look for life beyond Earth. But astronomers also consider the possibility that the power behind this water vapor could be its own star.
“It’s almost certain it’s water”
“We’re seeing a signal, and it’s almost certainly water, but we can’t yet tell if that water is part of the planet’s atmosphere, that is, if the planet has an atmosphere or if it’s just something from the star,” said Sarah Moran, lead author of the study and University of Arizona astronomer.It should be noted that red dwarf stars are the most common type of star in our galaxy. Therefore, rocky exoplanets are more likely to be discovered orbiting such stars. But for a rocky exoplanet to harbor water, it must orbit very close to the star because red dwarfs are relatively cold compared to other star types. Unfortunately, red dwarfs are also chaotic and violent, spewing X-ray radiation in all directions. These explosions strip the atmosphere of any object close enough, potentially rendering them uninhabitable.
“Water vapor in the atmosphere of a hot rocky planet will be a major breakthrough for exoplanet science,” said Kevin Stevenson, lead researcher and researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Webb’s results showed that the planet’s surface temperature is 430 degrees Celsius, which is too hot for liquid water to exist. However, traces of water vapor were also detected. The team will examine GJ 486 b more closely to determine whether the source of water vapor is from the host star or from the exoplanet itself.
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