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Extraterrestrial life does it exist? Flower discovery on an exoplanet 124 -enlightened years away

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Similar to the earth: K2-18b is a lightweight exoplanet 124 years away belonging to the superziemia category (rocky up to 10 masses of soil). Discovered in 2015 by Kepler's Space Telescope, it aroused more interest for the first time 4 years later, when it was found that there were significant amounts of water vapor in its atmosphere. Although later it turned out that it was rather about methane, K2-18B was recognized as the most promising object in the context of seeking life, with the possible existence of liquid oceans on its surface. Thanks to this, he attracted more attention of astronomers, and this is due to this The latest, equally sensational discovery – chemical compounds, which until now have been associated with manifestations of biological processes.

Gaza of life? These substances are Two gases – Dimetil sulfide (DMS) and Dimetyl Dixtrum (DMDS). Both are considered markers of life on exoplanets. On Earth, phytoplankton is responsible for their emission, including sea algae, and DMS is the most abundant in the biological atmosphere of sulfur. No wonder that its detection on a distant planet is enthusiastic.

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A breakthrough in the search? – This is a breakthrough moment in search of life outside the Solar System, in which we showed that it is possible to detect biosygatura on potentially suitable planets with the help of current devices. We entered the era of observational astrobiology – said astrophysicist Nikk Madhusudhan from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, the main author of research, which was published in the “Astrophysical Journal Letters”. Researchers, however, recommend caution, indicating that so far only the existence of biological life indicators has been demonstrated.

Space fingerprints: Cosmic James Webba telescope It is a powerful tool that allows Electromagnetic spectrum testing distant objects and on this basis to determine their chemical composition. Although spectroscopy can be imprecise, both NASA and other space agencies are constantly improving the observation and identification process. He would be helpful here Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Adapted for precise detection of waves of various frequencies, which was planned around 2040. However, after cutting off funds for NASA by the current administration of Donald Trump, his fate remains uncertain.

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Space brothers? K2-18b is in the constellation of the lion, it is larger than the Earth 2.6 times, but almost 9 times more massive, and the star around which the red dwarf is half a smaller than the sun. The concentrations of both detected substances are thousands of times stronger than earthly. If living organisms are actually responsible for their production (and not some unknown chemical processes), then They will probably be microorganisms. We will have to wait a bit to discover foreign intelligence.

Read also: “They came back! For 9 months they were 'imprisoned' in orbit. End of astronaut drama“.

Sources: Reuters, Guardian, BBC



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